During the offseason, the one major plaudit the Los Angeles Lakers front office deserved was that they didn’t sacrifice any youth or future draft picks. At the trade deadline, however, that philosophy was sacrificed, as desperation led to two trades that were clearly win-now moves for an ultimately failed playoff push.
A month removed from those deals, it’s clear that the Mike Muscala/Ivica Zubac (and Michael Beasley) swap should never be discussed again out of respect for the personal well-being of all Lakers fans. Nevertheless, the trade of Svi Mykhailiuk and a second-round pick for Reggie Bullock was a good one at the time, and it’s worth considering how that move will look going forward, given that the team’s outlook and priorities have changed in the intervening weeks.