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Kobe Bufkin Joining Lakers’ G League Team

November 13th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

3:11pm: South Bay has acquired Bufkin in a trade with the Pistons‘ affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, the team announced (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). South Bay sent a 2027 NBAGL first-round pick to the Cruise for Bufkin. In a related move, the Lakers’ G League team waived guard Jace Carter.

12:20 pm: The South Bay Lakers intend to acquire guard Kobe Bufkin, who is entering the NBA G League player pool, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

It’s unclear whether South Bay will claim Bufkin off waivers or trade for his rights after another team claims him, but either way, the upshot is that he’ll end up with Los Angeles’ G League affiliate.

The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin battled injuries during his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. He missed a significant chunk of his rookie year due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe, then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December 2024, less than two months into his second year.

In total, the 6’4″ guard made just 27 appearances for the Hawks, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per night, with a .374/.220/.654 shooting line. The 22-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Brooklyn during the offseason and it seemed like he might get a chance at a fresh start with the Nets. Instead, he was the victim of a roster crunch last month and was waived to help Brooklyn get down to 15 players for the start of the regular season.

Bufkin showed promise during his final college season at Michigan as a scorer and play-maker, and he was productive in the G League during the 2023/24 campaign, averaging 23.6 points and 5.9 assists in 32.0 minutes per game across 14 outings for the College Park Skyhawks.

If he plays well for South Bay and shows he’s fully healthy, Bufkin could certainly earn another shot from an NBA team. Since he has just two years of NBA service, he remains eligible to sign a two-way contract.

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Central Notes: Giannis, Pacers, Ball, Porter, Essengue

November 13th, 2025 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out Wednesday’s game vs. Charlotte due to what the team referred to as patellar tendinopathy affecting his left knee. However, speaking to reporters prior to the game, head coach Doc Rivers suggested that Antetokounmpo’s absence was more about managing his workload during a tough part of the schedule rather than an injury the team is seriously concerned about.

“What are we, five games in seven days?” Rivers said (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). “It’s just a lot. And we looked at this before it all started, this was the game, if we were going to sit him, just because it was right in the middle and it gives him four days off.

“This one was a little rough because we weren’t sure. I know I wanted him to (sit). I asked him before (shootaround), trying to talk him into not playing, which is rare for me to do. But it just felt like health-wise, this is the right decision.”

Antetokounmpo is off to an excellent start this fall, averaging 33.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 32.9 minutes per game through his first 10 outings. Wednesday’s contest was the second he has missed this season, and while Milwaukee picked up a victory without its star forward vs. Golden State on October 30, the team dropped last night’s game in Charlotte, falling to 7-5 on the season.

We have more from around the Central:

  • The Pacers had some players back from injuries on Tuesday, including point guard T.J. McConnell making his season debut. However, the club gave up a season-high 152 points in a blowout loss to Utah, prompting McConnell to refer to the defensive effort as “pitiful,” per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “We just have to be better in terms of fight, in terms of pride,” McConnell said. “That’s really not gonna get it done.” The defending Eastern Conference champions are now 1-10 to open the season.
  • With Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell among the Cavaliers‘ regulars inactive on Wednesday in Miami, Lonzo Ball earned his second start of the season and reserve guard Craig Porter Jr. played a season-high 32 minutes. Fred Katz of The Athletic looks at how Ball is fitting in with the Cavs so far this season, while Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required) covers Porter’s “heroic” night — the third-year guard had 19 points and nine assists, with a game-high +21 on/off court mark, in the victory over the Heat.
  • Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue had a big G League debut on Tuesday, scoring 28 points in 29 minutes for the Windy City Bulls, according to Julie Poe of The Chicago Tribune, who shares five takeaways from Essengue’s performance. However, Essengue remains an odd man out in Chicago’s frontcourt rotation, so this won’t change the team’s development plan for him, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I think sometimes you can get preoccupied with the scoring aspect of it,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “I know he had a big night offensively, but if he’s getting out in transition, getting to the backboard, slashing, cuts, that’s great. I think we all know the shooting part of it needs to continue to develop, his body needs to continue to develop, but can he get things into the game we’re going to need him to?”
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NBA G League Affiliate Players For 2025/26

November 12th, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason and preseason, NBA teams are permitted to carry 21 players, but that number must be reduced to 15 (plus three two-way players) in advance of opening night. However, up to five players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads.

As we explain in more detail in our glossary entry on the subject, if a player’s NBA team has designated him as an affiliate player and he signs a G League contract, he is automatically assigned to that team’s NBAGL roster.

Of the G League’s 31 teams, 30 are directly affiliated with an NBA club. Only the Mexico City Capitanes are unaffiliated and are ineligible to have affiliate players.

Here are the affiliate players for the other 30 squads to open the 2025/26 season, which tipped off last week:

Austin Spurs (Spurs)

Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans)

Capital City Go-Go (Wizards)

Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers)

College Park Skyhawks (Hawks)

Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers)

Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets)

Greensboro Swarm (Hornets)

Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves)

Long Island Nets (Nets)

Maine Celtics (Celtics)

Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)

Motor City Cruise (Pistons)

Noblesville Boom (Pacers)

Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder)

Osceola Magic (Magic)

Raptors 905 (Raptors)

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets)

Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers)

Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)

San Diego Clippers (Clippers)

Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors)

Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat)

South Bay Lakers (Lakers)

Stockton Kings (Kings)

Texas Legends (Mavericks)

Valley Suns (Suns)

Westchester Knicks (Knicks)

  • None

Windy City Bulls (Bulls)

Wisconsin Herd (Bucks)

  • None

Note: While some G League teams officially listed their affiliate players when announcing their rosters, many of these lists are based on our own research.

In addition to these “affiliate players,” G League teams have the ability to fill out their rosters with the following types of players:

  • Returning rights: Players whose G League rights were already held by the team from a previous season (or were acquired in a trade from another NBAGL team).
  • G League draft rights: Players who were selected in this season’s G League draft.
  • NBA draft rights: Players who were drafted by an NBA team and signed a G League contract instead of an NBA contract.
  • Local tryout: Players who earned a shot via a local tryout.
  • G League player pool: Players who signed G League contracts and went undrafted (or signed their contracts after the draft). Newly signed players go through a waiver process and enter the league’s free agent pool if they go unclaimed.
  • Two-way contract: Players who are on a two-way contract with an NBA team and have been transferred to the G League.
  • NBA assignment: Players who are on a standard contract with an NBA team and have been assigned to the G League.
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Injury Notes: LeBron, Garland, Sharpe, Morant, Edey

November 12th, 2025 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Lakers star LeBron James has been assigned to the G League today in order to practice with the South Bay Lakers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

James, whose season debut has been delayed while he deals with sciatica on his right side, is being sent to the G League for the first time since he entered the NBA in 2003. The assignment will, of course, be a brief one, giving the 40-year-old an opportunity to take part in his first full practice of the season, including 5-on-5 play, Charania notes.

Charania reported nearly a month ago that James and the Lakers were targeting mid-November for his 2025/26 debut. His progress so far appears to line up with that timeline.

The Lakers, led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, have played well in James’ absence, winning eight of their first 11 games this season.

We have a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • The Cavaliers announced today that point guard Darius Garland has been diagnosed with a contusion on his left great toe after re-injuring that surgically repaired toe in Monday’s game vs. Miami (Twitter link). While Garland will miss Wednesday’s rematch with the Heat, the diagnosis is a best-case scenario for him and the Cavs, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who notes that the team hasn’t ruled out the point guard for any additional games yet. Garland will receive daily treatment and his status will be updated as appropriate, per the club.
  • Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe sat out on Tuesday vs. Toronto due to what the team referred to as a left glute contusion, but the injury isn’t considered significant, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). “He’s day-to-day, we’re not concerned,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And we want to make sure he feels good and mentally in a good place to be ready to play. So, that’s all good news, and it’s an opportunity for the next man up.” One of those “next men up” could be rookie forward Danny Wolf, who was recalled from the G League before Tuesday’s game and made his second NBA appearance.
  • While Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is questionable to play on Wednesday vs. the Celtics due to right ankle soreness, center Zach Edey (left ankle surgery recovery) has taken another step toward his season debut, having been upgraded from out to doubtful, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While he may not play on Wednesday in Boston, Edey could be available for Saturday’s game in Cleveland. “I’ve seen him on the court working out,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “I’m excited for him to be back.”
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Eastern Notes: Hawks, Embiid, McConnell, Robinson, Ball

November 11th, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Trae Young is currently on the shelf with a strained MCL, while Kristaps Porzingis isn’t yet producing at his usual level, but the Hawks have picked up back-to-back wins due in large part to big games from unlikely sources.

As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, third-year forward Mouhamed Gueye came up big in Saturday’s victory over the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while also contributing seven rebounds and seven assists. It was a career night for Gueye, who was making his second start of the season with several regulars – including Porzingis and Jalen Johnson – sidelined.

“He’s been hungry,” head coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “He wants to get better. He’s putting the time in games, like tonight, he gets even more opportunity to do that, obviously, on the floor.”

Gueye had a quiet night off the bench on Monday vs. the Clippers, but fellow reserve Vit Krejci set his own career high in points (28), as well as three-pointers, knocking down 8-of-10 tries from beyond the arc. As Williams details, Krejci’s hot shooting helped fuel Atlanta’s comeback, and his banked-in three-pointer to beat the shot clock with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter helped seal the win (video link).

Both Gueye and Krejci are on multiyear minimum-salary contracts, so the Hawks have the ability to retain them on team-friendly deals beyond this season.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of Tuesday’s contest vs. Boston due to right knee soreness, the team announced today (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). It’s Embiid’s first non-scheduled absence so far this season, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. It’s also worth noting that it’s not the knee that has been a recurring issue for the big man in recent years — Embiid underwent surgery on his left knee in the spring. He’s being evaluated further by team doctors, per the Sixers.
  • Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell, who was said over the weekend to be “getting closer” to making his season debut, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game in Utah, according to the team (Twitter link). McConnell has yet to play this fall due to a left hamstring strain, but his return appears to be imminent — if he’s unable to suit up against the Jazz, the veteran’s next opportunity to play would be on Thursday in Phoenix.
  • Mitchell Robinson has played sparingly so far this season, suiting up for just four of the Knicks‘ first nine games as the team carefully manages his workload. However, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes, Robinson has made the most of his limited role, grabbing nine offensive rebounds in 16 minutes vs. Minnesota last Wednesday, then finishing as a remarkable +40 in less than 17 minutes of action against Brooklyn on Sunday. “I don’t really fall into the plus-minus stuff a ton, but it’s another amazing stat,” head coach Mike Brown said. “He keeps throwing up these stats that are amazing. … To impact the game that way — again, not a huge believer in it — but to see a number like that in the short amount of time he was playing, was just amazing.”
  • Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm (Twitter link). Ball has missed Charlotte’s past four games due to a right ankle impingement, but head coach Charles Lee expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the progress the 24-year-old has made in his recovery (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
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Victor Oladipo Joins Bucks’ G League Affiliate

November 9th, 2025 at 2:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Victor Oladipo will soon join the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Friday (via Twitter) that Oladipo had entered the NBAGL player pool after playing three preseason games this fall with the Guangzhou Loong Lions, a Chinese team.

According to Fischer (Twitter link), Oladipo was claimed off waivers by the Santa Cruz Warriors, which subsequently traded his rights to the Herd.

The Herd confirmed in a press release that they have acquired Oladipo (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

A two-time All-Star whose career was derailed by a series of leg injuries, Oladipo held his own against NBA players in the preseason, averaging 19.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.7 steals in 27.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .467/.250/.923.

Oladipo worked out for NBA clubs in Las Vegas over the summer, though nothing came of that session. Representatives from European teams also reportedly attended Oladipo’s workout, and while he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing overseas, the former No. 2 overall pick suggested last month that he wasn’t seriously entertaining that idea.

“You know, if push comes to shove and that’s the last option, we’ll see. I’m definitely one of the best. So that’s where I belong is the three letters: N-B-A,” he told Sam Yip of HoopsHype with a laugh.

Oladipo was one of the NBA’s best two-way performers in 2017/18, when he averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game across 75 outings for the Pacers. He earned MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes that season, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award and claiming a spot on the All-NBA third team and All-Defensive first team.

The 33-year-old made a second consecutive All-Star team for Indiana in 2018/19, but his season was cut short by a ruptured quad tendon, which sidelined him for roughly a full calendar year. That quad tendon injury continued to be an issue after the guard eventually returned to action and required a second surgery in 2021.

Oladipo has appeared in just 102 total NBA games since sustaining that initial quad injury in January 2018, most recently suiting up for the Heat during the 2022/23 season. He sustained a torn left patellar tendon in his last game with Miami in April 2023.

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Bulls Notes: Giddey, Comeback Win, White, Essengue

November 5th, 2025 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

After reeling off five consecutive wins to open the season, the Bulls lost in New York on Sunday and appeared to be on the verge of a second straight loss on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. However, as Jamal Collier of ESPN details, Chicago overcame a 24-point deficit to defeat the Sixers by a score of 113-111, completing the largest NBA comeback so far this season.

Josh Giddey, whose restricted free agency dragged on for nearly three months this offseason before he signed a new four-year, $100MM contract with the Bulls, was the driving force in the victory. He led the team in points (29), rebounds (15), and assists (12), making him the first Bull since Michael Jordan to register triple-doubles in back-to-back games.

Giddey admitted it was “cool” to accomplish a feat last achieved by Jordan, per Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times, but made it clear that the “individual stuff” was secondary to winning the game.

“Tonight was one of the best wins that I’ve ever been a part of,” he said, according to Collier. “Just in terms of how bad we were down that early in the third. And to gut that one out and dig ourselves out of the hole that we did was unbelievable.”

Veteran center Nikola Vucevic, who hit the game-winning shot to secure the victory for the Bulls, was impressed with the team’s resilience but stressed that he and his teammates can’t get into the habit of giving up 45 points in the first quarter.

“It’s important that we understand this is not how you can become a good team by getting down 20 and then waking up and start to finally play,” Vucevic said. “We have to play better from the beginning. This game was a great example of what we can be when we play the way we need to. So hopefully we can use this as a good learning experience for us and understand that we have to do this for 48 minutes.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • Chicago is off to a 6-1 start without guard Coby White, who was the team’s leading scorer in the second half last season. According to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required), head coach Billy Donovan said that White (left calf strain) is still “a couple weeks away” from playing in a game. “I watched him today — he is sprinting, running, cutting, jumping, trying to do everything completely full speed,” Donovan said on Tuesday. “He’s felt really, really good. … This has just taken a while. I think you can see around the league, there’s a lot of guys dealing with these calves right now. It’s just the way it is.”
  • Seven of the 15 players on the Bulls’ standard roster are in contract years, but the team has bought in so far on Donovan’s call for a team-first approach, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Right when training camp started, I addressed of all this, because we have seven or eight guys that are in the same situation, and I think it’s very easy if you’re not in the rotation or you’re not playing well to start to press, start to think about yourself,” Donovan said. “There’s a level of unselfishness [we needed] where you can start thinking about others — other than yourself, certainly — when your situation is uncertain going forward. … Like I told those guys, [free agency] will get here in July. Why worry or think about that when you have things in front of you now? We don’t have a team that can [isolate] or guys just go get theirs. We’ve got to rely on each other.”
  • After spending three days in the G League with the Windy City Bulls, rookie forward Noa Essengue was recalled to the NBA on Wednesday, per the team. Chicago doesn’t play again until Friday, so Essengue may have the opportunity to practice with the NBA club this week. As Donovan told reporters when Essengue was initially assigned to the G League on Sunday, the team had planned since the draft to take a patient approach with him. “This is a guy at 18 years old who has a huge runway in front of him to get better and to improve, but we’re going to have to invest in his development,” Donovan said, per Cowley. “It may not be with us. It may be going back and forth between us and the G League. Those were things discussed back in June.”
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Bulls’ Noa Essengue Expected To Spend Extended Time In G League

October 31st, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls forward Noa Essengue, the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft, won’t travel to New York for Sunday’s game against the Knicks, head coach Billy Donovan said today (Twitter links via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic and K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network).

Instead, the 18-year-old will be assigned to the G League on Saturday to begin practicing and playing for the Windy City Bulls. As Lorenzi notes, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate is in the early stages of training camp — Windy City’s season opener is next Saturday, October 8.

According to Johnson, Essengue is likely to spend extended time with Windy City to open his rookie season. The French forward has yet to make his NBA regular season debut for the Bulls, who are off to a 4-0 start.

Essengue, who played professionally last year in Germany, didn’t look NBA-ready in Summer League action in Las Vegas or during the preseason, so it’s not surprising that he’ll need to continue to work to adjust to the speed and physicality of the league.

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Nuggets Notes: Murray, Johnson, M. Brown, Holmes

October 29th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Historically a slow starter who has posted his worst scoring and shooting numbers in October, November, and December, Jamal Murray was optimistic during the preseason about reversing that trend. So far, so good for the Nuggets guard, who has averaged 30.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his first three games, with a scorching-hot .530/.429/.923 shooting line.

As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) writes, the sample size is still far too small to jump to any conclusions, but if Murray’s hot start continues, he could have a shot to earn the first All-Star nod of his career. Predictably, head coach David Adelman is thinking more about how the point guard’s strong performances so far have impacted winning than whether or not Murray will finally get All-Star recognition.

“How many All-Stars haven’t won championships?” Adelman said. “How many All-Stars don’t have a triple-double in the Finals? … Yeah, he doesn’t go to the glorified pickup game, but the guy is a champion and one of the best players of this generation.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • Starting forward Cameron Johnson was unable to finish Monday’s win over Minnesota due to an injury the Nuggets are referring to as right shoulder inflammation, Durando writes in another story for The Denver Post (subscription required). “He was in pain. His shoulder was hurting him,” Adelman said. “I don’t think it’s extremely serious, but it was bothersome. To his credit, he came back out and tried to play. But that’s why it’s nice to have a guy like Tim (Hardaway Jr.) off your bench.” Johnson is listed as questionable to play on Wednesday vs. New Orleans.
  • The Nuggets carried veteran center Moses Brown on an Exhibit 10 contract for the preseason and made a trade to acquire his G League returning rights, but he wasn’t on the training camp roster announced on Monday by the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s affiliate (Twitter link). It’s unclear what the next stop will be for Brown, who has appeared in 163 NBA regular season games since debuting in 2019.
  • The Nuggets officially assigned DaRon Holmes to Grand Rapids on Tuesday, and that figures to be a common occurrence over the course of the season. As Durando writes for The Denver Post (subscription required), on paper, Holmes looks like a strong candidate to be the backup power forward in Denver’s NBA rotation, but the team will proceed extremely cautiously with the 2024 first-round pick after he missed his entire rookie year with an Achilles tear. Holmes is on board with that plan, according to Adelman. “DaRon has been nothing but positive. Great attitude. Good learner. Good in the locker room, not just on the court. Just a great kid overall,” the Nuggets’ coach said. “Can really shoot the ball. And you’ve gotta remember, he’s coming off an Achilles. It’s not like he had a sprained ankle last year. He’s playing basketball again for the first time (since college) in the last four months.”
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Trail Blazers’ G League Team Acquires Dillon Jones

October 27th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rip City Remix, the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, acquired 2024 NBA first-round pick Dillon Jones from the South Bay Lakers for two future first-round picks and the rights to Will Richardson, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (Twitter link).

Jones was the No. 1 pick in the G League draft, which was held on Saturday.

The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him prior to their season opener and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season, as he went unclaimed.

The decision by the Remix to acquire Jones could potentially mean that the Trail Blazers are interested in adding him to their roster in some capacity. However, they would have to make a corresponding move, since they have a full 15-man roster and all three of their two-way spots are filled.

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