The Nets have waived guard Kobe Bufkin, the team announced today. Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the news (via Twitter).
Bufkin was traded from the Hawks to the Nets last month in exchange for $110K in cash considerations. He joined a roster loaded with guard competition after the team took Ben Saraf, Egor Demin, and Nolan Traore in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Bufkin, 22, has struggled with injuries throughout his NBA career and has appeared in just 27 total games in his first two NBA seasons. He averaged 5.0 points and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per game during his time with the Hawks.
The former 15th overall pick struggled to carve out much of a role with Brooklyn during preseason, averaging just 10.9 minutes in his two outings and scoring 7.0 PPG on .364/.375/.600 shooting splits.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), because Bufkin’s $4,503,720 salary is fully guaranteed, the Nets will remain slightly above the minimum salary floor entering the season. Not reaching the floor would cause Brooklyn to lose its luxury tax distribution, which is projected to be around $12.8MM, Marks adds (Twitter link).
The move will also get Brooklyn’s roster within the regular season limits — the team now has 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.
Bufkin will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Tuesday.
Told you all. Now waive Highsmith, Etienne and Liddell
Keep Wilson, Martin and resign Keon Johnson and sign a veteran to babysit. Nelson on a two way
Bad trade Brooklyn
They paid $110K to acquire a $4.5M player whom they waived a month later, and they acquired no assets in the process.
Meanwhile they lowballed their RFA Cam Thomas all summer and now they can’t trade him without his approval.
Their offseason is inexplicable.
I’m a bit surprised at this, but they wanted to ensure they stayed above the floor. I guess Wilson and Martin outplayed him.
Well, this is a bad reason if so. Bufkin has a much higher ceiling than Jalen Wilson… not to mention that they now have to pay Bufkin $4M+.. 🤦♂️
Actually that was probably part of the plan, I believe. They needed to ensure they got over the floor before the start of the season. The only thing that could screw it up is if someone claims him. That’s highly unlikely. If they still want to work with him, they still have a two-way available after he clears waivers.
Grizzlies may come knocking with Pippen now out.
They don’t have a standard roster spot available and they would have to drop one of their two-way players to get him after he clears waivers. I don’t think the Nets would be too upset if that happened. What would be painful would be if they waived someone from their top 15 and claimed him. That would take the dead money off their books and leave them scrambling to get above the floor before tomorrow.
So if someone else claims Bufkin, his g’teed contract is no longer the Nets obligation and they’ll be back under the salary floor..?
So until the claim period ends, the Nets are not in the clear yet.
Maybe consider signing him to a two way contract
Dude should have stayed in college at least one year more. His body wasn’t ready for The Association.