7 Former Lakers Still Unemployed After 2 Months of Free Agency

Wesley Matthews

The Lakers struggled to surround their superstar with enough shooting and two-way role players throughout the LeBron James era. Sometimes, they would sign players of the right profile and they would forget how to shoot in a Lakers uniform.

Wes Matthews was one of those players. The Lakers signed him in the 2020 offseason with the hopes of being a solid three-and-D role player around LeBron and Anthony Davis. Instead, he had the worst season of his career, shooting 33.5% from three and a miserable 35.3% from the field, averaging 4.8 points per game.

Even though he played slightly better in his next stop in Milwaukee, he wasn't able to reach the same heights he did earlier in his career with Portland and Dallas. Therefore, it is not too surprising that his phone isn't inundated with offers at age 37.

Reggie Bullock

Bullock's story is similar to Wes Matthews'. In LeBron James' first year in Los Angeles, the Lakers traded for Bullock from Detroit to get more shooting and three-and-D play from the perimeter. Bullock, who had shot 44.5% from three a year prior, only made 34.3% of his threes in Los Angeles after the trade.

His stint with the Lakers didn't last too long as the veteran wing signed with the Knicks in the next offseason. He re-established his career in Dallas between 2021 and 2023 but he had a down year with the Rockers last season.

He is 33 years old and his days as an effective NBA player weren't too long ago, so he should be able to land a veteran's minimum contract somewhere before the season begins.

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