The Los Angeles Lakers have made a trade. No, not that one.
According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Lakers have agreed to a deal to send Svi Mykhailiuk and a draft pick to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Reggie Bullock. ESPN's Marc Spears added that the pick would be a second rounder in 2021.
It's not the most exciting trade, but every trade can't be a blockbuster. Here are the grades for each team.
Los Angeles Lakers: A
Los Angeles receives:
- Reggie Bullock
The Lakers are mired in Anthony Davis trade drama, and it's clearly affecting the team. Despite LeBron James' return to the lineup, they were embarrassed by the Pacers on Tuesday night, suffering a 42-point loss that was highlighted by numerous gaffes. The Davis trade may not come by the deadline though -- if he ever gets to the Lakers at all -- so the Lakers went to work on other ways to improve their roster.
Their first move was a huge success, acquiring pretty much the perfect role player for their roster in Bullock. A strong outside shooter, Bullock is knocking down over 38 percent of hist 6.6 attempts per game this season, and is just the type of athletic, sharpshooting wing the Lakers need. He figures to slide right into an important role with the team.
Even before the season started, everyone had questions about the Lakers' outside shooting. After more than half the season, it's clear those fears weren't unfounded. The Lakers are 20th in the league in 3-point attempts, and 29th in percentage, shooting just 33.4 percent from downtown.
Bullock should help fix that problem, and all they had to give up was Mykhailiuk and a future second-round pick. Plus, Bullock is a free agent after the season, which will help free up some cap space if necessary. And if not, they can just bring him back next season.
Detroit Pistons: D+
Detroit receives:
- Svi Mykhailiuk
- 2021 second-round pick
This is a puzzling deal from the Pistons' perspective. They're just one game behind the Heat for the eighth playoff spot in the East, and have been clear in their goal to get back to the playoffs after swinging a blockbuster trade for Blake Griffin last season. While it's been a disappointing season so far, the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture is in no way inspiring, and the Pistons could easily push their way into the postseason.
Bullock has been an important part of their scheme, and his shooting will be a big loss for a team that already struggles offensively, ranking just 23rd in the league with an offensive rating of 105.8. Plus, as bad as the Lakers are shooting the 3, the Pistons aren't much better. For the season, they're 28th in the league at 33.5 percent, just one-tenth of a percentage better than the Lakers, and Bullock's been by far their most consistent outside shooter.
Meanwhile, they're getting a player in Mykhailiuk who doesn't quite look ready to play heavy minutes in the league. He was taken No. 47 overall in the second round by the Lakers last summer, and earned a three-year deal from the team after an impressive performance in the Las Vegas Summer League. That hasn't translated into much playing time for Lakers this season though; he's appeared in just 38 games, and is averaging 10.7 minutes and 3.2 points.
While they get a pick to sweeten the deal, this trade definitely hurts them in the short term, and there's a good chance it never helps them in the long run.
