Lakers Rumors: East Contender Lowers Asking Price For LA Trade Target

He could make a lot of sense for the Lakers.

The Lakers have been heavily linked to New York Knicks G/F Cam Reddish for the last few months. Reddish made a lot of sense for the Lakers as a buy-low candidate, but the Knicks' asking price remained high. However, they've finally come to their senses, as that asking price has been lowered — and now, it makes even more sense for the Lakers to make a move.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein on his substack, the Knicks are seeking just second-round draft pick compensation for Reddish. He had the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks as potential interested teams, and on Friday, SNY's Ian Begley listed the Miami Heat as a potential landing spot, as well.

New York is seeking only second-round draft compensation now to move Cam Reddish, per @TheSteinLine

The Mavericks, Lakers and Bucks are teams with interest in Reddish.

(Via https://t.co/pWLJ2ZxjXq) pic.twitter.com/s8VbKU6Akh

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 18, 2023

Reddish clearly has a ton of interest from contenders, as the 23-year-old is oozing with potential. Reddish was drafted 10th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He had a decent start to his career, but never got consistent playing time.

In 2022, the Hawks shipped Reddish over to the Knicks for a first-round pick, where he even further fell out of the rotation. This year, Reddish has appeared in just 20 games, averaging 8.4 points in 21.9 minutes per game. The Knicks have been shopping him pretty much since they got him, and they're likely to move him before the February 9 trade deadline.

So why does he make sense for the Lakers?

Reddish has shown flashes in his career as a two-way player. When he played 28.8 minutes per game in 2020-2021, Reddish averaged 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals a game. Reddish has a ton of talent, and is still so young. He also will be a restricted free agent next season, and has a qualifying offer just over $8 million.

As of right now, the Lakers have just three players under contract for next season — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Damian Jones has a $2.6 million player option, and everyone else will be a free agent. So not only would Reddish be a good candidate to stick with the team next season, but he would also come at pretty nice value, assuming another team doesn't pay him well over his worth.

The Lakers would love the opportunity to have a then-24-year-old two-way wing at just $8 million or so next season, as they look to put together a winning roster around James and Davis for the first time since 2020. If Reddish ends up going for a first-round pick, it wouldn't make sense for the Lakers. But if it's true the Knicks are just looking for some second-round draft pick compensation, the Lakers have to jump at that move. There's just too much potential to let it slip away.