Reggie Bullock and the Knicks agreed to a two-year, $21 million contract.
But they’ve apparently hit a snag.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
ESPN Sources: The New York Knicks and free agent Reggie Bullock are re-working an original two-year, $21M deal, with both sides motivated to find an agreement with new terms. Agent David Bauman and the Knicks are re-evaluating Bullock’s fitness to play a full season in 2019-20.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 9, 2019
Bullock has never shown an ability to stay healthy over a full season of play. (To be fair to him, he didn’t have a chance as a non-rotation player early in his career.) His 63 games with the Pistons and Lakers last season were a career high.
But Bullock appeared healthy entering free agency. Though he missed several games late in the season with neck stiffness, the Lakers were out of the playoff chase. They were sitting several veterans.
Maybe Bullock’s physical uncovered something. This is a strange development.
The Knicks were counting on Bullock’s outside shooting. They’ll probably be bad next season either way, but their spacing would be better with Bullock.
If his contract with New York falls through, Bullock would look like damaged goods as he re-enters the market. Cap space has also evaporated around the league since he agreed to terms. There’s pressure on him to salvage a deal with the Knicks.
Most importantly, hopefully his wellbeing is OK after whatever issued emerged here. That he and New York still want to strike a new deal is encouraging.
