NBA
Should Knicks Bring Back Familiar Forward?
The New York Knicks have some space open on the roster and it remains to be seen what direction they will go in with it.
An option that hasn’t been explored yet could be to sign former Knicks guard Reggie Bullock, who played with the team from 2019-21.
Bullock, 33, has played in the league for 11 years after he was the No. 25 overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2013 NBA Draft. It took Bullock a little while to settle into the league as he joined a Clippers team ready to compete for the postseason that didn’t need a rookie in the rotation.
Bullock was traded to the Phoenix Suns midway through his second professional season, and he played in just 11 games for the franchise. That summer, Bullock was dealt once again, this time to the Detroit Pistons, where he had the most successful stint of his career. Bullock spent four seasons in Detroit and eventually became a starting wing for the team in his third year.
At the 2019 trade deadline, Bullock was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers for another future Knick Svi Mykhailuk, who played for the franchise from 2022-23. The Lakers surprisingly failed to make the playoffs in LeBron James’ first season with the team while he was teammates with Bullock.
From there, Bullock signed with the Knicks in free agency, but he had to undergo surgery on a herniated disc, which kept him out until January. In 2020-21, Bullock played in all but seven games and helped the Knicks make the playoffs for the first time in eight years. However, the Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks in a five-game series.
Bullock left the Knicks that summer to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, who made a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 where he started all 18 games in the postseason. He played one more season with the Mavs before signing with the Rockets in 2023-24.
Just two years removed from being a starter for a contender, Bullock could help in a pinch. He doesn’t need to be that player, but his veteran experience and familiarity with Tom Thibodeau make him a potential candidate to sign.