Nets Reportedly Trade for Hawks' Kobe Bufkin, SG Was No. 15 Pick in 2023 NBA Draft
The Atlanta Hawks reportedly are moving on from one of their young players.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Hawks are trading Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets in return for cash considerations. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the trade will create a $5.4 million trade exception for Atlanta.
The Hawks selected Bufkin with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, but he hasn't quite lived up to his draft position yet.
He played just seven games for Atlanta as a rookie, averaging 4.8 points per game in 11.5 minutes. Last year, he made just 10 appearances, putting up 5.3 points in 12.4 minutes per game before undergoing season-ending surgery in December.
Had Bufkin stayed in Atlanta this season, he likely would have been competing for minutes behind Dyson Daniel, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard, so moving on from the Hawks might have been the best move at this point in his career.
In Brooklyn, the Nets' rotation isn't quite as deep, and Bufkin should have a better opportunity to see the floor on a nightly basis. The Nets, who are still deep in a rebuild, have plenty of cap space, so taking a chance on Bufkin isn't too risky.
The Hawks went 40-42 a season ago, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Atlanta is hoping to capitalize on star point guard Trae Young's prime, and it would be hard to do that by relying on young talent to develop quickly.
Instead, the Hawks have freed up a roster spot and could bring in some talent before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
