The Brooklyn Nets waived guard Kobe Bufkin on Sunday, trimming their roster down to 15 standard contracts. Bufkin joined the Nets in September as a salary dump from the Atlanta Hawks. Brooklyn sent cash considerations to the Hawks and did not acquire a draft pick in the deal.
Bufkin entered the mix for a Nets team loaded with young guard prospects, including veteran Cam Thomas and rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf. The former No. 15 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.
Nets waive Kobe Bufkin in favor of Jalen Wilson, Haywood Highsmith
Bufkin was in competition with third-year forward Jalen Wilson for Brooklyn's final roster spot. While Bufkin is nearly three years younger and has a higher past pedigree, the Nets have been high on Wilson since selecting 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 splits.
Keeping Wilson over Bufkin also helps Brooklyn out of a financial pickle. By waiving the guaranteed contracts of Bufkin and Dariq Whitehead while guaranteeing the non-guaranteed contracts of Wilson and Tyrese Martin, the Nets reach the NBA's minimum salary floor.
Brooklyn also opted to keep veteran forward Haywood Highsmith over Bufkin. The decision came despite Highsmith suffering a setback in his recovery from offseason knee surgery that will sideline him for another two months.
While Highsmith will miss the start of the season, he could have trade value at the deadline if he plays well upon his return. The 28-year-old is a capable defender and a career 37.4 percent three-point shooter with playoff experience. He's on a $5.6 million expiring contract, which a contender could acquire using the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.69 million) without sending out another contract.
