The Real Force Behind the Nets’ Kobe Bufkin Trade

It seemed inevitable that the Brooklyn Nets would eventually use assistant coach Juwan Howard's ties to the Michigan basketball program in an attempt to add one of his former standouts. Many, myself included, always presumed that it would end up being Howard's son, Jett, who would be dealt to Brooklyn.

Yesterday's news proved that projection wrong, as the Nets sent cash considerations (reportedly $110,000, per HoopsHype) to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for 2023 first-rounder Kobe Bufkin. He joins Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson and Ricky Council IV as members of that rookie class who are now wearing the black and white.

The transaction continues a summer-long trend of Brooklyn taking on under-the-radar pieces while giving up essentially nothing in return. That is, without a doubt, one of the reasons why General Manager Sean Marks and the front office agreed to make this deal.

But it's impossible to believe the Howard factor wasn't at play here.

At Michigan, Bufkin was a standout prospect. After a pedestrian freshman campaign, he burst onto the collegiate scene, averaging 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a sophomore. He was part of a rotation that included Howard's son Jett, another first-rounder in the same year, NCAA star Hunter Dickinson and eventual national champion Tarris Reed Jr.—yet still produced at an extremely high level. Bufkin's points per game average was third on the team behind Dickinson (18.5) and Howard (14.2).

The senior Howard eventually left the collegiate level to join Jordi Fernandez's staff in Brooklyn, one that will look to unlock the potential Bufkin flashed at Michigan. Given the circumstances, it's easy to predict the combination of Howard's familiarity with Bufkin and Fernandez's ability to develop talent, contributing to major growth from the third-year guard.

However, there is one aspect of this deal that doesn't quite add up, and it's the backcourt that the Nets had assembled prior to trading for Bufkin. Why, after spending three of its five first-rounders on facilitating guards, would Brooklyn add another to the fold? The roster is jam-packed already, and continuing to acquire more players isn't helping the issue. While it is on the front office to sort that problem out, it could've been prevented in the first place.

Perhaps if Bufkin hits, now reunited with his head coach from college, Nets fans will be able to overlook the potential loss of guys like Keon Johnson, Dariq Whitehead or whomever Brooklyn ends up cutting ties with in an attempt to trim its roster ahead of the regular season.