Cam Reddish Hawks
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Happy Friday to everyone except the Nets.

ESNY Morning Shootaround logo

Welcome to the Morning Shootaround!

Although the New York Knicks didn’t play on Thursday night, they still stole the headlines by trading for Cam Reddish. The Brooklyn Nets are probably grateful for that because they lost to the lowly Thunder on Thursday night.

It was also a full night of hockey in New York/New Jersey as all three teams played. In fact, the Islanders and Devils met in UBS Arena.

Grab a coffee and an egg sandwich. Let’s dive right into it.

What we’re watching:

  • CBB: Manhattan @ Iona — Friday — 7 PM ET
  • CBB: Rutgers @ Maryland — Saturday — 2 PM ET
  • NHL: Capitals @ Islanders — Saturday — 2:00 PM ET
  • NHL: Rangers @ Flyers — Saturday — 7:00 PM ET
  • NBA: Hawks @ Knicks — Saturday — 7:30 PM ET
  • NBA: Pelicans @ Nets — Saturday — 7:30 PM ET
  • CBB: Georgetown @ St. John’s — Sunday — 4:30 PM ET

Cam Reddish Steals the Day

Knicks president Leon Rose isn’t waiting for the trade deadline to make his big splash this year. The Knicks acquired Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill, and Brooklyn’s 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Kevin Knox and Charlotte’s 2022 first-round pick.

All things considered, this is fantastic asset management by the Knicks. Clearly, Knox was never going to become a consistent rotation player on the Knicks and he needed a change of scenery. It’s also worth noting that the Charlotte pick is heavily protected (top 18 in 2022, top 16 in 2023, top 14 in 2024, converts to two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027).

Even if Reddish doesn’t live up to his potential, this is a worthwhile move for an athletic wing shooting 37.9% from deep. RJ Barrett also reunites with his former Duke teammate.

The Nets Take 2 Steps Backwards

After notching their most impressive win of the season on Wednesday night, the Nets laid an egg in Barclays Center on Thursday night. With Kevin Durant and Patty Mills out due to rest and Kyrie Irving ineligible to play in home games, it was all on James Harden.

Although Harden put up decent box-score stats, he didn’t shoot well from the floor (7-for-22) and the Thunder ran away with this one. The 130-109 loss moved the Nets back to 11-11 at home this season.

Hockey, Hockey, Hockey

It was a full night for local hockey fans. The Isles and Devils kicked things off in UBS Arena. Although New Jersey was able to hang tough until the bitter end, The Islanders were too much in the end.

Goals from Mat Barzal, Josh Bailey, and Adam Pelech led the way for New York. Pelech was also named to the NHL All-Star team on Thursday.

The Rangers were on the left coast for a meeting with the San Jose Sharks. If you fell asleep for this one, you didn’t miss much. The Rangers cruised to a 3-0 victory to keep their place atop the Metropolitan Division.

Seton Hall Blues

Seton Hall suffered a surprising loss at the hands of DePaul on Thursday evening. The Pirates are one of the best defensive teams in the country, but they had no answer for the Blue Demons, who scored 51 points in the first half and 96 for the game.

Bryce Aiken, on a bum ankle, nearly led Seton Hall to an 11-point comeback in the final 45 seconds of the game, but they ultimately fell short.

This is a bad loss for Seton Hall, but it’s worth noting that DePaul is better this year than in years past.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.