The Brooklyn Nets recently acquired guard Kobe Bufkin from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for cash considerations that amounted to $110,000, according to a report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Brooklyn will be heading into the 2025-26 NBA season with a brand-new point guard rotation with Egor Demin leading the way, but one NBA Draft expert loves the Nets trading for the former Michigan Wolverine.

“This is a home run for the Nets. You absolutely take on Kobe Bufkin’s $4.5 million this year and I think you opt into the option at $6.9 million next year and you just say, ‘hey, let’s see what it looks like,'” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie said during a recent episode of “The Game Theory” podcast (h/t to ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater). Brooklyn will be trying to see what Bufkin has in a rotation with Demin, Nolan Traore, and Ben Saraf.

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“Just in terms of his game, I really like the feel for the game,” Vecenie continued. “I buy him as a shooter long term. I think he plays a very direct game, makes very quick decisions, likes to drive in straight lines. I think he’s one of those dudes that always profiled to me as somebody that plays really well both on and off the ball, right? Like that ability to shift.”

Bufkin, 21, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 38.3% from the field and 21.1% from three-point land in 10 games played. Bufkin averaged 12.4 minutes per game, but played sparingly behind star point guard Trae Young, who had one of his best seasons since coming to the NBA out of Oklahoma.

This season represents a chance for Bufkin to prove that he deserves playing time at the NBA level, especially given the fact that he was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Michigan. Bufkin has some solid competition ahead of him with Demin, Traore, and Saraf vying for playing time as well, but it seems like Vecenie believes that Bufkin can be the type of high-upside play that could work wonders for general manager Sean Marks.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: NBA Draft expert loves Nets trading for Hawks’ Kobe Bufkin