Lakers' almost-traded former 1st-round pick now leaving NBA to play in Europe

Billy Heyen

Lakers' almost-traded former 1st-round pick now leaving NBA to play in Europe image

In February, Cam Reddish was nearly traded, but the Los Angeles Lakers' attempted Mark Williams deal that included him didn't go through.

Instead, Reddish got two more games with L.A. before he was let go in March.

And now, Reddish has opted to leave the NBA for an overseas opportunity.

Reddish is expected to sign in Lithuania with BC Siauliai, according to European basketball reporter Donatas Urbonas.

It's been a steep fall since Reddish's days as a top high school recruit heading to Duke to be part of a big three with Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.

Reddish wasn't perfect in his one-and-done season, but he did enough to earn selection at No. 10 overall in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

He also played for the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers before joining the Lakers.

Reddish has played 254 career regular season games in the NBA, including 116 starts. He has a career scoring average of 8.5 points per game. He never made enough shots (39.8% FG, 32.2% 3FG).

He's still just 26 years old, so there could always be a return to the NBA at some point.

In Lithuania, Reddish's head coach will be Darius Songaila, who spent a bunch of years as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs.

Reddish should be one of the best players on the floor in his time in eastern Europe, so maybe he can rediscover some of the top-end skill that once made him so tantalizing.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle