Los Angeles Lakers: Reggie Bullock must return after Anthony Davis trade
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have some roster work to do after trading for Anthony Davis, which should include the return of a trade deadline pickup.
The Los Angeles Lakers broke the NBA by trading for Anthony Davis the day before Father’s Day, giving LeBron James his superstar running mate to contend for the NBA Title next season.
The Western Conference is wide open next season and as a result, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged as the favorites to win the NBA Title. This was the goal all along for the Lakers: find two superstars that could restore the “Lakers prestige” back into a franchise that desperately needed it.
Davis is only under contract for one more season but the Lakers, along with the New York Knicks, were a team that he reportedly was interested in extending with after this year. This is great for the Lakers as it could mean another 2-3 years of James as well.
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James is getting older but those are bridges that the team needs to cross once they happen. Right now, the bridge that most needs to be crossed is filling out a roster that is two spots thinner after the Davis trade.
Not only do the Lakers need to replace two extra players in the rotation but they have to make up for the several free agents whose contracts expired this offseason as well. As it stands right now, the Lakers have six people on the roster, two of which were in the G League last season.
They have money to spend, though, and while it might not be enough to land a second star it is enough to fill out that roster. The first priority should be evaluating the expiring free agents and determine who to re-sign.
The answer immediately jumps off the page when evaluating the expiring free agents: Reggie Bullock.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded young sharpshooter Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to the Detroit Pistons for Bullock in a move that was meant to turn future projections into current results. Although Svi had a bit of a cult following with Laker fans, he was still far away from being a realistic contributor for a title-contending team.
Bullock, on the other hand, is a sharpshooting three and D guy that is the prototypical LeBron James teammate. This trade was not meant just for a playoff-push last season, it was meant as a way to convince Bullock that he loves the Lakers and get him to stay for a few more years.
The Lakers especially need Bullock now that both Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart are Pelicans. There is virtually no backcourt in LA and Bullock would at least be the start to rebuilding that.
He won’t be a huge impact player and he probably won’t start depending on who else the Lakers bring in. But having him in their disposal to bring in on key defensive moments and to hit a few clutch threes is a huge asset. Just look at how big of an impact Fred VanVleet had on the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals.
His three-point shooting was down in his short stint in LA but this is still a player that shot 44.5 percent from beyond the arc in 281 attempts the year prior.
Next. Patrick Beverley is perfect for the Lakers. dark
Reggie Bullock is a necessity for the Los Angeles Lakers and he should undoubtedly be one of the first free agents that the team pursues after July 1.