Kobe Bufkin has played in just 27 NBA games across two seasons — because of time in the G-League and injuries — but at Summer League in Las Vegas this July he showed some potential as a point guard who could run the pick-and-roll, like during his 29-point outing against the Heat (17 in the fourth quarter to spark a comeback win).
That was enough to get the Nets to take a chance on him.
Atlanta is trading Bufkin to Brooklyn for cash considerations, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
For Atlanta, this is a salary dump. The Hawks save Bufkinâ€s $4.5 million salary, putting them $7.7 million below the luxury tax line and $15.4 million below the first apron, where they are hard-capped (plus they create a trade exception they can use for the next year). For the Nets, this move puts them above the leagueâ€s salary floor, but they still have $11.4 million in cap space to facilitate trades.
The Nets also get a one-year roll of the dice on Bufkin, to see if he is the point guard who was putting up so many points in Las Vegas, or if he is more the guy who was committing turnovers and not shooting consistently while he was doing so. This is the kind of move Nets GM Sean Marks made a lot during his first rebuild, taking a shot on a flawed player with potential to see if other teams have given up too quickly. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesnâ€t, but itâ€s a risk worth taking for the Nets, who are in the middle of another rebuild.
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