Kobe Bufkin To Sign With Pelicans

Bufkin, 22, played for New Orleans in the just-completed Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three games. That performance was enough for the Pelicans to offer his next NBA opportunity.

Bufkin appeared in 16 games with the Lakers last season, signing a 10-day contract on January 13 and a standard deal on February 8. He averaged 2.9 points in 7.4 minutes per night while shooting 30% from the field and 19.2% from three-point range before being waived April 10, just prior to the end of the regular season.

He also signed a 10-day deal with Memphis last November, but didn’t see any game action.

Bufkin was selected by Atlanta with the 15th pick in the 2023 draft, but appeared in just 27 combined NBA games during his two years with the Hawks before being traded to Brooklyn last summer. After the Nets cut him at the end of the preseason, he went to the South Bay Lakers, where he earned a spot on the All-NBA G League second team.

He’ll now try to resume his career with the Pelicans, who currently have 14 players with standard contracts. New Orleans also has a two-way opening, which Bufkin will be eligible to fill because he only has three years of NBA service.