11:35am: The Knicks have officially announced their new deal with Bullock.
9:43am: The Knicks and free agent shooting guard Reggie Bullock have finalized a new contract agreement after an earlier deal fell through, agent David Bauman tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bullock confirmed the news himself today, tweeting, “Done deal!”
Bullock and the Knicks initially agreed to a two-year, $21MM contract with a second-year team option near the start of free agency. However, they reworked that deal after “unanticipated health issues” arose, as Charania notes.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Bullock’s new two-year contract will have a starting salary worth less than the $4.77MM room exception. The new deal will also have a second-year option, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.
“[The] Knicks were fantastic through this process,” Bauman told Begley.
A first-round pick in the 2013 draft, Bullock began his career with the Clippers and then the Suns, but didn’t hit his stride until a stint with Detroit that began in 2015.
Bullock averaged 11.3 PPG and shot 44.5% on three-pointers for the Pistons in 2017/18. Last season, the veteran split his time between the Pistons and Lakers as a result of a deadline trade, recording 12.1 PPG with a .377 3PT% in 63 total games.
While we don’t know the details of Bullock’s health issues, he has battled plantar fasciitis in the past. As a result of the extra cap room generated when his original deal was nixed, the Knicks were able to bring in Marcus Morris on a one-year, $15MM contract.
Bullock was the last player on our list of 2019’s top 50 free agents who had yet to agree to a new contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ouch, that’s a big paycut!
I hope that Bullock is ok – this seems to suggest that there were some serious health concerns.
Yeah, never seen an agent so happy to take a 60% pay cut. Something is significantly wrong. The good news is that the Knicks already have too many rotation pieces so he can take some time to get healthy.
If he plays this year ahead of the deadline, and does well, then the Knicks’ may have backed into a contract that can be traded for value. I doubt any of their other FA contracts will be able to be moved for very much (if anything).
Anybody else wondering he has the same virus as magic?