Kobe Bufkin News, Rumors, Updates - Los Angeles Lakers

Shifting to bench Bufkin won't start Thursday's game against the Mavericks, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.

Impact Bufkin was tapped for a spot start Tuesday with the Lakers without several key contributors, but he'll return to his usual bench role Thursday. The 22-year-old may not receive many chances to play given LA's backcourt has returned to health other than Luka Doncic (hamstring).

FEBRUARY 13 • ROTOWIRE

Enters starting five Bufkin is starting Tuesday's game against the Spurs, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.

Impact Bufkin will make his first start of the season with Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) and Marcus Smart (ankle) all out. He'll run the floor alongside Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes.

FEBRUARY 11 • ROTOWIRE

Lakers signing Kobe Bufkin makes sense and was a smart move LOS ANGELES — Before the Lakers’ victory over the Warriors, president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka told a handful of...

FEBRUARY 9 • NYPOST.COM

Lakers foolishly bypass buyout market to sign guard LA doesn't need The Los Angeles Lakers filled their 15th roster spot by signing Kobe Bufkin over exploring more NBA-ready contributors in the buyout market.

FEBRUARY 8 • LAKESHOWLIFE.COM

Lakers filling 15th roster spot, signing Kobe Bufkin The team brought back a familiar face.

FEBRUARY 8 • NYPOST.COM

Signs two-year deal with Lakers The Lakers signed Bufkin to a two-year deal on Saturday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Impact Bufkin was a steady contributor for the South Bay Lakers in the G League, and the guard has been rewarded with a two-year deal to fill the Lakers' open 15th roster spot. The second year of the deal is a team option for 2026-27. Bufkin will add wing depth for the Lakers but isn't expected to have a sizable role in the rotation.

FEBRUARY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Continues to score in bunches Bufkin ended with 29 points (5-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 37 minutes during Friday's 115-114 G League loss to the Capital Cit...

Impact Bufkin continues to tear it up in the scoring department in the G League. The 2023 first-rounder has reached the 20-point plateau in all but two of his last 14 appearances, during which Bufkin is averaging 27.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.8 minutes per game.

FEBRUARY 7 • ROTOWIRE

Contract with Lakers ends Bufkin became a free agent Friday after his 10-day contract with the Lakers expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Impact The Lakers will have the option of bringing Bufkin back on a second 10-day deal, though it's unclear if the team intends to do so with Austin Reaves' (calf) return seemingly on the horizon. Bufkin suited up in six games for the Lakers upon signing his 10-day pact, appearing in four of those contests while averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.5 assists and 0.3 steals in 11.3 minutes.

JANUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Part of rotation Thursday Bufkin contributed zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), three rebounds, one steal and one block across 17 minutes Thursday in the Lakers' 135-117 loss to the Hornets.

Impact After being recalled from the G League's South Bay Lakers ahead of Thursday's contest, Bufkin was somewhat surprisingly included in head coach JJ Redick's rotation after his lone other appearance for Los Angeles came in garbage time of a blowout win over the Hawks on Tuesday. Bufkin was largely deferential on offensive with a minuscule 7.6 percent usage rate, but he made an impact on the other end of the court with a pair of defensive counters. While the 22-year-old might have done enough to remain part of the second unit Saturday in Portland, he's signed to a 10-day deal with the Lakers and won't necessarily be in line for a long-term stay in the rotation.

JANUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Signing 10-day deal with Lakers The Lakers are signing Bufkin to a 10-day contract Tuesday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Impact Bufkin has spent most of his time with the G League's South Bay Lakers in 2025-26, and he's now catching the attention of the parent club to help shore up the team's backcourt depth. The 2023 first-rounder has scored at least 23 points in 11 of his 14 G League appearances this season.

JANUARY 13 • ROTOWIRE

Hawks' regret in dumping former first round pick grows as he thrives in the G League The Hawks made a hasty decision to dump Kobe Bufkin's salary, but the Michigan product has finally hit his stride.

DECEMBER 15, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Off injury report Bufkin (personal) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Monday's game against the Nuggets.

Impact Bufkin most recently played for the South Bay Lakers of the G League, where he missed Friday's game against the Santa Cruz Warriors due to personal reasons. He has since signed a 10-day hardship deal to join the Grizzlies, where he appears set to make his team debut Monday. Although he doesn't figure to see a major role, Bufkin could see some time due to Memphis' injuries at the guard spots.

NOVEMBER 23, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Former Hawk has a golden opportunity to vindicate Atlanta's front office Kobe Bufkin has perhaps his final chance to prove he belongs in the NBA

NOVEMBER 23, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Inks deal with Memphis Memphis plans to sign Bufkin (personal) to a 10-day hardship exception Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Impact Bufkin had been playing with the South Bay Lakers of the G League to open the season, though he missed Friday's game due to personal reasons. He now joins a Memphis backcourt hit hard by injuries, with Ja Morant (calf), Ty Jerome (calf), Scotty Pippen (toe) and Javon Small (toe) all sidelined.

NOVEMBER 23, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Hawks may have indirectly gifted conference rival a much-needed guard Kobe Bufkin could prove he belongs in the NBA by filling the guard void for an Eastern Conference playoff team.

OCTOBER 21, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Hawks draft bust is falling apart with no signs of recovery The Atlanta Hawks gave up already on recently drafted guard Kobe Bufkin, and so has the rest of the NBA as Bufkin was just waived before the...

OCTOBER 21, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Nets waive G Kobe Bufkin; retain F Tyrese Martin, F Jalen Wilson The Brooklyn Nets announced on Sunday that they waived guard Kobe Bufkin. That move also allowed Brooklyn to retain Tyrese Martin and Jalen...

OCTOBER 19, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

What Waiving Kobe Bufkin Means for Brooklyn Nets In mid-September, it was announced that the Brooklyn Nets had officially acquired former No. 15 pick Kobe Bufkin from the Atlanta Hawks for...

OCTOBER 19, 2025 • SI.COM

Nets to waive former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin Nets to waive former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin

OCTOBER 19, 2025 • HOOPSHYPE.COM

Cut loose by Brooklyn Bufkin is being waived by the Nets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Impact Bufkin, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, struggled to stay healthy and establish a consistent role with the Hawks before being traded to the Nets in September. Facing a roster crunch, Brooklyn decided to move on from the young guard amid a crowded backcourt that includes returning scorer Cam Thomas and rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.

OCTOBER 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Hawks' GM reveals the sneaky win-win situation of Kobe Bufkin's departure Kobe Bufkin was supposed to start the season as an Atlanta Hawk. To the surprise of the organization, an absolute stunner of a summer led th...

OCTOBER 1, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Jordi Fernandez on why Nets traded for guard Kobe Bufkin After drafting three point guards in the first round in June, why would Brooklyn trade for a fourth that had been a first-round pick two yea...

SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 • NYPOST.COM

Hawks training camp is one to watch after shocking Kobe Bufkin trade The Hawks will have a battle for the final roster spots this training camp.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 • SOARINGDOWNSOUTH.COM

Who Should Run Point for the Nets? Breaking Down the Starting PG Debate Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Kobe Bufkin and Terance Mann all joined the Brooklyn Nets this summer, but only one can start at point...

SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 • SI.COM

NBA Draft expert loves Nets trading for Hawks' Kobe Bufkin The Brooklyn Nets recently traded for Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin and The Athletic's Sam Vecenie explained why he loves the move for the...

SEPTEMBER 21, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

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