After being waived on Saturday by New Orleans, free agent guard Kobe Bufkin has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Jazz, reports Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Utah doesn’t currently have an open two-way slot, so the team will need to waive one of its current two-way players in order to make room for Bufkin. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the odd man out will be forward Blake Hinson.
The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin has appeared in just 43 games during his first three NBA seasons. He battled injuries during a two-year stint in Atlanta and then spent a portion of the 2025/26 season with the Lakers before being waived in April. He caught on with the Pelicans in July on an Exhibit 9 training camp contract but was unable to earn on spot on New Orleans’ regular season roster.
Bufkin, 23, has posted modest numbers at the NBA level, averaging 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 10.2 minutes per game, with a .354/.212/.737 shooting line. However, the 6’4″ guard did have a big year in the G League last season, putting up 24.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .507/.423/.895 shooting in 24 outings (32.5 MPG) for the South Bay Lakers. The performance earned him a spot on the All-NBAGL second team.
Hinson, 26, played well in a limited sample for the Jazz last season, contributing 11.9 PPG on .513/.468/.750 shooting in 14 games (20.4 MPG). Like Bufkin, the 6’8″ forward was also productive in the G League, scoring 23.5 PPG with a .482/.370/.691 shooting line in 32 appearances for the Rip City Remix and Salt Lake City Stars.
This is Bufkin’s final year of two-way eligibility, so his new deal will cover just a single season. Assuming it’s finalized on Wednesday, he’ll be eligible to appear in up to 50 regular season games for Utah and would earn a prorated salary of $674,980 as long as he remains under contract through the league-wide salary guarantee date in January.
As for Hinson, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Friday if he’s placed on waivers today and goes unclaimed.
