Lineup notes from players in the Eastern Conference before the trade deadline.
- Detroit’s Killian Hayes has come off the bench during his last 8 games and put up 7.4 PPG/5.5 APG/3.0 RPG/1.1 BPG. The point guard was the #7 pick in the 2020 draft and started in a majority of the games he was healthy for from 2020-2021, but has played a new role so far in 2022. Even if he doesn’t become a starter again in the future due to poor shooting numbers (35.7% FG & 27.9% 3-PT in 67 career games), his defensive instincts, passing, and ball handling can definitely help off the bench.
- New York’s Cam Reddish is still very confident in his abilities and told the media that he thinks he can be “a legit star” during his first press conference with the Knicks following being traded from Atlanta. However, the minutes haven’t been there yet to prove if he can actually be that star caliber player one day. The 22-year-old has only appeared in 3 games on 7.0 MPG while racking up 4 DNP’s, and to make things sound even more uncertain, there was chatter today about head coach Tom Thibodeau not wanting New York to trade for him when they made the deal last month. Hopefully Reddish’s role will change after the upcoming trade deadline, as the team is expected to move some of their veterans like Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, & Alec Burks.
- Washington’s Daniel Gafford has been put in a tough situation since the return of Rui Hachimura & Thomas Bryant, only logging 11.2 MPG in his last 8 games played while getting a DNP on January 29th. Gafford began the season at the starting center position and put up productive numbers of 9.5 PPG/6.6 RPG/1.7 BPG/68.6% FG during his first 40 games, but these two guys were both starters in the past and certainly deserve their chances to get back in the lineup. Although Bryant could potentially be gone soon, as he’s been made available in trade talks and will be a free agent this summer.
- Milwaukee’s Donte DiVincenzo is another name to keep an eye on at the trade deadline. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto recently said that the 25-year-old “has drawn considerable interest from teams” and won’t be moved unless the Bucks receive a solid youngster or someone that’s going to help right away in return. Also longtime Milwaukee based writer Gery Woelfel wrote that speculation grew around DiVincenzo’s future with the Bucks when he rejected their offer of a rumored $9 million per year contract extension, followed by the team bringing in Grayson Allen over the offseason.
