The San Antonio Spurs and veteran wing Reggie Bullock agreed to a contract buyout on Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Several championship contenders and playoff hopefuls” are reportedly set to pursue the 32-year-old on the open market.
Bullock was dealt to the Spurs on July 5th, part of a three-team trade with the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. He landed in San Antonio along with an unprotected 2030 pick swap from the Mavericks, while Grant Williamson was sent to Boston. The Celtics received a pair of second-round picks for facilitating the deal, which included Grant signing a three-year, $54 million contract with Dallas.
Bullock played the last two seasons with the Mavs, starting a majority of games on the wing. He began shaking off typical early struggles last season in mid-December, ending 2022-23 shooting a solid 38.0% from beyond the arc and hitting a career-best 56.2% of his twos, albeit on extremely low volume. A whopping 84.5% of Bullock's shots were threes during his final season in Dallas, the fourth-highest rate in the league among players who notched at least 500 minutes, per research at Stathead Basketball.
While Bullock's ability to stretch the floor and capably defend guards and smaller wings could've helped San Antonio in 2023-24, a separation is in the best long-term interest of both parties. The Spurs aren't ready to push for a playoff berth in Victor Wembanyama's debut campaign, content to let its young core develop, while Bullock only has so many opportunities to win an elusive championship before his well-traveled career comes to a close.
Expect any contending team in need of additional depth to inquire on Bullock, whose unspectacular ‘3-and-D' bonafides nevertheless make him a snug plug-and-play fit across the league.