NBA Trade Grades: Lakers acquiring Reggie Bullock from Pistons

Detroit Pistons

This move is a bit of a head-scratcher for the Pistons, who have been all in on returning to the playoffs for years now. Trading for Blake Griffin was a drastic move in keeping with that desperation, and although he’s been terrific this year, the severity of that contract as he gets older means the time to compete — or hastily wheel and deal — is now.

Sitting one game out of the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons’ most likely move was trading for immediate help for an offense that ranks 28th in 3-point percentage despite jacking up the seventh-most 3s in the NBA. Their second-most likely avenue would’ve been accepting this core isn’t going to work and blowing it up entirely with a surprising Griffin or Andre Drummond trade.

This move? This fits neither category. Dumping Bullock to a more competitive team without being properly compensated is a move that represents a short-term downgrade complete with long-term question marks.

Bullock is hardly considered an elite 3-and-D wing in this league, especially as a starter for a team that’s five games below .500 in the inferior conference. Even so, he’s their fourth-leading scorer behind Griffin, Drummond and Reggie Jackson, and most importantly, their best 3-point shooter.

He may not be a lockdown defender, but he was good for the Pistons in more areas than just perimeter shooting:

Trading a player fitting that description for a second round rookie who’s played in just 39 games is hardly a win-now move. Mykhailiuk is probably an NBA player, but he’s struggled to replicate his strong performance from NBA Summer League in the pros, averaging 3.3 points in 10.8 minutes per game while posting ugly .333/.318/.600 shooting splits.

He’s only 21 years old and could find more opportunity with Detroit’s younger core, but that’ll only happen this season if A) the Pistons blow it up, B) tank once the playoffs are out of reach or C) simply become desperate for floor-spacing now that Bullock is gone.

In either case, this deal doesn’t help Detroit’s goal of returning to the postseason, and it’s hardly a reassuring long-term play. Trading Bullock before he left for nothing in free agency makes sense, but this is a meager return for a wing of his caliber, even with a second-rounder, a $2.5 million trade exception and ducking under the luxury tax thrown in.

Grade: C-