Following the NBA trade deadline, the Lakers had one open roster spot which they used to sign Kobe Bufkin to a two-year contract, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. Bufkin had previously played for the Lakers on a 10-day contract last month, and the team opted not to re-sign him to another 10-day. After his initial 10-day expired, he went back to the G League with the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate where he had begun the season.
With the signing, the Lakers add another guard to the mix, although Kobe Bufkin brings a somewhat different skill-set to the roster than the recently added Luke Kennard. While Kennard is a 3-point sniper and able to be a strong playmaker, Bufkin is able to put up points in a hurry with his shot creation.
During Bufkin’s 10-day contract, he appeared in four games at a little over 11 minutes per game. He averaged 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds with splits of 36.4 percent shooting from the field, 28.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 100 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Bufkin played two seasons with the organization before they traded him to the Brooklyn Nets this past offseason. The Nets then waived him and he ended up joining South Bay.
Bufkin had been off to an explosive start offensively in the G League with multiple 40-point games. He played in 21 games this season with South Bay at a little over 33 minutes per game. He had been averaging 26.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 51.5 percent shooting from the field, 43.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 89.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The Lakers are in the midst of a five-game home stand in the week leading up to the All-Star break. Following their 105-99 win against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, the Lakers 32-19 and into a tie record-wise with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference standings for the No. 4/5 seed.
