Kobe Bufkin will miss the rest of the 2024/25 season, according to the Hawks, who announced today in a press release (Twitter link) that the second-year guard will undergo surgery to address right shoulder instability.
The surgery, which was determined to be the best option for Bufkin after “continued evaluation and additional medical opinions,” will take place on January 7. He’s expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2025/26 season.
The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin was limited to 17 NBA appearances in his rookie year, having missed a significant chunk of the 2023/24 campaign due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe.
He also suited up for 14 games in the G League last season, averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per contest for the College Park Skyhawks, with a shooting line of .444/.356/.829.
Bufkin sustained a right shoulder subluxation (ie. a partial dislocation) during a Summer League practice this past July, then suffered the same injury in a practice just before the regular season began. He made his season debut on November 18 and appeared in 10 games this fall, but that shoulder was apparently never 100%, so he and the team have decided to take the surgical route to address it.
The result will be another lost season for Bufkin, who has averaged 5.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .374/.220/.654 shooting in 27 total NBA outings (11.9 MPG). Hopefully, the surgery will clear up any lingering issues with the shoulder and allow him to begin his third NBA season fully healthy.
Bufkin is under contract for $4.3MM this season and $4.5MM in 2025/26. The Hawks will have to make a decision by October 31, 2025 on his $6.9MM fourth-year option for the ’26/27 season.
Atlanta will have the ability to apply for a disabled player exception as a result of Bufkin’s season-ending injury. It would be worth half his salary (approximately $2.15MM) and would allow the club to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract or to acquire a player on an expiring deal via trade or waiver claim.
I hope Bufkin gets better and free from injury. So many numerous various things.
The Hawks have historically struggled with having a dependable bench pg behind Trae.
Imo, it is a HUGE disservice for ATL brass to not have someone for Trae to learn from, or even allow him to not worry about coming out of games.
Backup PG’s:
-Jeremy Lin (on his last leg) for the first year for 25 games.
-Teague (on his last leg) for 25 games.
-Lou Will (on his last leg) for 24 games.
-Patty mills (on his last leg) for 19 games.
-Bufkin (rookie) for 27 games in 2 years.
-Keaton Wallace and Krekji for a few games here and there.
That’s it. Over Seven years.
Not a Hawks fan so I’ve never really given it much thought until seeing this list. Damn that is brutal.
I would love to see the Hawks continue to trend in the direction they are this year. I am always on board small markets without a championship finding success. Legacy franchises winning all the time is boring imo.
That list is far from complete. We had Rondo as a valuable vet for Trae to learn from & also had Delon Wright as a great backup pg during our run to the ECF
absolutely correct
keaton wallace started against the Celtics in a road win. i like him. hoping they give him a real shot
Big Bust already
I think its unfair to label players plagued by injuries as busts.
To me guys like Anthony Bennett are busts.
If you followed the career of Anthony Bennett at all then you should know that injuries are also the main reason that he didn’t have a great NBA career.
I have a hard time calling anyone a bust that wasn’t a lottery pick. It’s not like Bufkin was hyped up or anything. If Scoot Henderson doesn’t start improving he would be an example of a “bust” from Bufkin’s draft class.
okongwu out four games now too. sneaky way to get nance playing time and boost his trade value. might even trade okongwu instead. all the hawks ask of backup point guard these days in defense, and opponents rip off 10-0 runs when trae leaves the floor, so i don’t think this bufkin thing is gonna hurt as much as it seems it might. Vit needs more playing time anyway, his shot suffers when he doesn’t play enough imo
Capela, Bufkin and Roddy for a younger C. Example Miles Turner, Claxton, Ayton etc etc etc. Portland might consider it
Sign Dennis Smith or E Payton