The Memphis Grizzlies have received a hardship exception from the NBA and will sign guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Bufkin, selected 15th overall in the 2023 draft, struggled to stay on the court with the Atlanta Hawks because of multiple injuries, including a fractured thumb and a sprained toe as a rookie, followed by season-ending shoulder surgery last December. He logged only 27 appearances with Atlanta before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets during the offseason.
Brooklyn waived the 6-foot-4 guard before Opening Night when roster space became tight. Bufkin then joined the G League’s South Bay Lakers, where he averaged 22 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting efficiently in two NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament games, performances that kept him on Memphis’s radar.
The Grizzlies are currently without four point guards—Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Javon Small—and continue to miss forward Brandon Clarke as he rehabs from knee surgery. The hardship exception opens a temporary roster spot, allowing the club to bolster its depleted backcourt with Bufkin’s arrival.
Source: Hoops Wire
