Knicks president denies report about former Duke basketball forward

The New York Knicks seem at peace with Duke basketball product Cam Reddish.

Duke basketball teammates Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett (Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)

Seemingly all summer long, former Duke basketball one-and-done and current New York Knicks small forward Cam Reddish saw his name pop up in trade chatter. Most often, the Los Angeles Lakers were the talked-about destination.

On Sept. 1, which just so happened to be Reddish's 23rd birthday, the New York Post's Marc Berman spiced up that rumor mill with the following report:

"Knicks wing Cam Reddish wants a change of scenery, The Post has learned, after he was traded to New York in January and didn't initially crack the rotation. An NBA source said Reddish is looking for a larger role. The Lakers have interest in the 6-foot-8 Reddish."

Within an hour of Berman publishing his article, Reddish found his way to a New York Knicks Instagram post wishing him a happy birthday. While there, he indirectly refuted Berman's report with this reply to someone who noted he had just requested a trade: "When I do that? y'all be trippin 😂😂."

Fast forward a few weeks. Knicks president Leon Rose addressed the "reports" (at the 14-minute mark in the video below) while appearing on the MSG Network with host Alan Hahn on Friday night.

"No, that wasn't true," Rose responded when Hahn asked if there was any validity to Reddish openly wanting out of New York. "He didn't ask for trade; his representatives didn't ask for a trade. Actually, I believe he put out a tweet after that report came out saying he didn't know what they were talking about. So it was inaccurate."

In January, the Atlanta Hawks traded Cam Reddish to the Knicks. After mostly riding the pine his first month in New York, he began earning double-digit minutes on a nightly basis from the second week of February through the first week of March.

But the game after tallying his highest scoring total as a Knick with 17 points across 25 minutes off the bench in a blowout win at home over the Los Angeles Clippers, Reddish suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Rose insisted that Reddish is now in tip-top shape and has an opportunity when training camp tips off next week to show he's ready to carve out a regular role.

"It was a shame last year," Rose said. "He started to play well. He had the shoulder injury. And he put in a lot of time...doing everything he had to do to get that shoulder healthy. The shoulder is fully healthy...We're excited to see him on Tuesday to get in there and compete for those minutes."

Cam Reddish went No. 10 overall at the 2019 NBA Draft, the third Duke basketball player to come off the board that night, following top pick Zion Williamson and present-day Knicks teammate RJ Barrett at No. 3.

RELATED: Stacking up all 26 Duke one-and-dones in history

He's played in 133 regular-season games between his three years in the league, averaging 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals.

The Knicks, who drafted another Blue Devil this summer in Trevor Keels and signed him to a two-way contract, finished with a disappointing 37-45 record last season. With Barrett emerging into a potential All-Star and likely leading the way in New York, the franchise will look to avoid a second straight absence from the NBA Playoffs.

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