The New Orleans Pelicans have waived Kobe Bufkin, ending the guard’s stint with the franchise before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Marc Stein reported the move on Saturday, October 17. Bufkin was selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
New Orleans signed Bufkin to a one-year, minimum-salary contract in July after he impressed during Summer League, averaging 21.3 points per game. The agreement gave the Pelicans an opportunity to evaluate a former first-round pick who had yet to establish a consistent role in the NBA.
Bufkin spent his first two NBA seasons with Atlanta before joining the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2025-26 campaign. He appeared in 16 games for Los Angeles, averaging 2.9 points while shooting 30.0% from the field.
Across 43 regular-season appearances over three NBA seasons, Bufkin averaged 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 10.2 minutes per game. He shot 35.4% from the field and 21.2% from three-point range.
His most productive NBA stretch came with Atlanta in 2024-25, when he averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 assists in 12.4 minutes across 10 games.
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The Pelicans entered the offseason after finishing 26-56 in 2025-26, placing 11th in the Western Conference. New Orleans hired Jamahl Mosley as head coach on a five-year deal, replacing interim coach James Borrego.
The team’s main free-agent addition was Bennedict Mathurin, who signed a two-year, $15.4 million contract. New Orleans also extended Saddiq Bey on a three-year, $55.5 million deal and acquired AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson from Memphis in a September trade that sent Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to the Grizzlies.
