The Lakers are taking advantage of their last internal roster spot, reportedly signing 22-year-old two-way guard Kobe Bufkin to a standard two-year NBA contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Michigan native has made a name for himself this season with impressive performances on the Lakers’ South Bay G-League team. In 26 games for South Bay, Bufkin averaged 26.7 points per game, shot 43% from three-point range and scored 51.3% overall.
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Bufkin, who scored a career-high 41 points in South Bay’s win over the Capital City Go-Go’s on Wednesday, scored 30 of his points in the first half while hitting 7-of-7 3-pointers. In his last game, he went 6-for-6 from 3-point range.
Bufkin gives Lakers coach J.J. Redick another backup three-point weapon, and the team now has two new members on the roster after trading sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard (Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick) on the final day of the trade deadline.
Bufkin has played four games for the Lakers this season after signing a 10-day contract with the team on January 13. In these games, he averaged 11.3 minutes and 3.0 points per game.