One issue that has plagued the Los Angeles Lakers in recent years has been their struggles with 3-point shooting. Regardless of who the team would bring in to fix the problem, the Lakers continually find themselves near the bottom of the NBA in terms of 3-point percentage.
Once again, adding shooters will be a priority this summer and the Lakers front office will have its share of players to choose from. One of the more intriguing options is someone the team is already familiar with in Reggie Bullock of the New York Knicks.
The Lakers acquired Bullock during the 2019 season and he appeared in 19 games for the franchise before leaving to join the Knicks that offseason. Now, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Lakers are one of the teams with interest in signing him this summer:
According to an NBA source, two Atlantic Division squads, the Celtics and 76ers, have interest in Knicks swingman Reggie Bullock, who started all season at either shooting guard or small forward.
The source said the Lakers, whom Bullock played for in 2018-19 alongside LeBron James, also have Bullock on their list.
Bullock would be an ideal acquisition for the Lakers as a two-way wing. He is a career 39.2% 3-point shooter and knocked down 41% from deep last season in New York. He is also a solid defender on the other end and a veteran with playoff experience who isn’t afraid of the big stage.
During his short time with the Lakers, Bullock wasn’t able to quite show his full skillset and struggled with his shot, knocking down just 34.3% of his threes. But that seems to be more of an outlier season than the norm.
The Lakers being interested in Bullock makes perfect sense, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding their guards and wings next season. Wesley Matthews, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker are all free agents while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope continues to be mentioned in possible trade rumors. As either a starter or a top reserve, Bullock is undoubtedly someone who could help the Lakers’ shooting issues in a major way.
Lakers eyeing Chris Paul in ‘hunt’ for veteran point guard
In addition to their shooting woes, the Lakers also have to decide what they will do with their point guard position. Dennis Schroder is an unrestricted free agent and will have plenty of suitors this summer. But the team may be looking to go the veteran route after the up-and-down season of Schroder.
One big name who fits that bill is Chris Paul, who recently led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals and is a close friend of LeBron James. The Lakers are reportedly ‘on the hunt’ for a veteran point guard and Paul is on that list.
The franchise wants to get back to the championship level and Paul surely wants to win his first ring after coming so close this season. It would take some maneuvering, but the Lakers are going to explore all options in improving this team.
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