Nets give up former 1st round pick after Hawks trade
The Brooklyn Nets waived running back Kobe Bufkin on Sunday, reducing their roster to 15 standard contracts. Bufkin joined the Nets in September as a salary dump from Atlanta Hawks. Brooklyn sent compensation to the Hawks and did not receive a draft pick in the deal.
Bufkin entered the mix for a Nets team loaded with young point guard potential, including veteran Cam Thomas and rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf. The former 15th pick struggled to carve out a role during the preseason. He made two appearances, averaging 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-8 from three in 10.5 minutes per game.
The Nets waived Kobe Bufkin for Jalen Wilson, Highwood Highsmith
Bufkin was in competition with third-year forward Jalen Wilson for the final spot on Brooklyn’s roster. While Bufkin is nearly three years younger and has a higher pedigree in the past, The Nets were high on Wilson as he selected him No. 51 in the 2023 draft. The former Big 12 Player of the Year appeared in 79 games with 22 starts last season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 40/34/82 shooting.
Keeping Wilson over Bufkin also helps Brooklyn get out of financial trouble. By giving up the guaranteed contracts of Bufkin and Darrick Whitehead while guaranteeing the non-guaranteed contracts of Wilson and Tyrese Martin, the Nets reach the NBA minimum wages.
Brooklyn also decided to keep veteran forward Haywood Highsmith instead of Bufkin. The decision came despite Highsmith suffering a setback in his recovery from offseason knee surgery that will sideline him for another two months.
Doc Highsmith will miss the start of the seasoncould have trade value at the deadline if he plays well upon his return. The 28-year-old is a capable defender and career 37.4 percent three-point shooter with playoff experience. He is on an expiring $5.6 million contract, and a candidate could be acquired using the taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($5.69 million) without sending him another contract.
2025-10-19 22:01:00
