The Atlanta Hawks traded Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets today for cash considerations, according to Shams Charania. Atlanta selected the young combo guard 15th in the 2023 draft, with the vision of drafting a player of Dejounte Murray's mold to play alongside Trae Young.
Bufkin is entering his third NBA season out of Michigan, where he showed real promise as a two-way shooting guard. In his sophomore and final season, he averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals while increasing his true shooting percentage by over 10%.
Unfortunately for Bufkin, however, he never got a legitimate shot in Atlanta. He has played just 27 games over his injury-riddled two-year career, averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a night. The theory of drafting Bufkin always assumed he would need time to develop, but he never had a chance to earn NBA reps.
Bufkin has a much better opportunity to prove himself in Brooklyn
After a breakout performance at summer league, there was optimism that Bufkin could thrive if given a third chance. He put on weight, has improved on both ends, and was a quietly impressive leader during the summer league.
This was never going to happen, however, or at least not in Atlanta. The Hawks signed two shooting guards this offseason: Luke Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Kennard and Alexander-Walker are both better suited for a team with serious playoff hopes. While Bufkin is listed as a point guard, he is a shooting guard-sized player who played the two at every level before the NBA.
Bufkin joins a young Brooklyn team with a plethora of available playing time and a dearth of proven talent. While it might hurt Hawks fans to see a youngster they once believed in get traded, this might be the best outcome for Bufkin. After injuries caused him to no longer fit Atlanta's timeline, he will now have two years to establish himself on this Nets team before he sees his first free agency.
For the Hawks, this move opens up a roster space, suddenly giving real consequences to Atlanta's upcoming training camp. There are seven players with little to no guaranteed money beyond training camp: Keaton Wallace, Jacob Toppin, Eli N'Diaye, Kobe Johnson, N'Faly Dante, Charles Bassey, and Caleb Houstan. Assuming Atlanta's training camp roster is complete, three of these players will make the roster, three will be assigned to the G League, and one will find himself unemployed.
Bufkin's trademark perimeter defense is perhaps the most glaring of Brooklyn's many weaknesses, giving him an obvious path to minutes. We wish him the best in his new home.