Previously, the Los Angeles Lakers had success in the buyout market with Markieff Morris, Andre Drummond, and Spencer Dinwiddie. This time, the head coach, JJ Redick, and the front office didn’t rely on it and missed out on multiple players, including former Nets star Cam Thomas. Fans couldn’t come to terms with this approach of the Purple and Gold franchise.
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The Lakers instead entrusted Kobe Bufkin, who first joined on a 10-day deal. The 22-year-old has been an integral part of the South Bay Lakers this season, and clearly, he caught the eye of the Lakers front office. “There’s a lot of factors that go into that,” Redick said of the Bufkin signing.
“The buyout market. I’ll just be frank, because I did this when I was working in media, it very rarely produces a player that impacts a team’s playoff chances. It just very rarely does. The second part of that is that if you’re going to get a buyout player, you’ve got to make sure that guy’s healthy, that guy’s ready to play.
Kobe has certainly earned a spot in the NBA with the way he’s played this year for us in South Bay. There are also factors of are we going to be able to keep him in our program? So there’s a lot that went into it. We feel really happy that we got him on the roster.”
Kobe Bufkin put up some monster numbers with South Bay, averaging 26.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from three-point range, and 89.8 percent from the charity stripe. It’s not the only time that he had impressed the head coach.
JJ Redick on the Lakers’ decision to sign Kobe Bufkin to their final roster spot instead of a buyout player:
“The buyout market very rarely produces a player that impacts a team’s playoff chances… Kobe has certainly earned a spot in the NBA with the way he’s played this year…
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 10, 2026
JJ Redick said of Bufkin when he was signed for the 10-day contract. “I think he’s got the positional size to be a plus defender and obviously his ability to shoot the ball consistently, particularly on our team, would provide great value.” The 22-year-old got the final spot on the roster, with a two-year contract. While the Lakers secured his signing, the Milwaukee Bucks rapidly got the deal done to sign Cam Thomas.
Thomas, for years, has shown that he can be a proven scorer. Bufkin will need some adjustment period coming from the G-League, and the fans pointed this out.
Fans not buying JJ Redick and the Lakers
Thomas, 24, averaged 21.4 points per game over the last three seasons with the Nets. That’s why the netizens can’t understand signing a G-League player over a NBA star. “Literally proven nba talent in cam Thomas on the market and you make up this shit. Kobe Bufkin is my new Vincent.” Cam Thomas has become one of the NBA’s most polarizing young scorers.
The former LSU guard is capable of explosive performances, including nine games of 40 points or more. His ability to create shots at all three levels makes him a constant offensive threat and one of the league’s most naturally gifted bucket-getters. Another fan only had questions since the presser from JJ Redick apparently did not provide the answer they were looking for. “Why.??????? There’s a lot of upcoming buyout players. Cam Thomas??? Why kobe bufkin?”
A netizen also suggested an alternative method, which could have led to the Lakers keeping both Thomas and Bufkin. “Bring him up, dropped Bummy, then they should have went after Cam Thomas, but they waited too long.” The solution was to cut Bronny James from the roster, who is averaging the lowest minutes of any active Lakers player. But it’s not just Thomas that the front office missed out on.
“Team and league sources say wing Haywood Highsmith is a player of interest, provided his knee issues are resolved,” Dan Woike of The Athletic reported. “Cam Thomas, his former Nets teammate, is another more polarizing option.” So, a fan stated how former Heat star Highsmith was also an option.”COULDVE HAD CAM THOMAS HAYWOOD HIGHSMITH OR CHRIS BOUCHER IM CRYING.”
Another fan echoed a similar sentiment, a similar sentiment and stated, “yet you ppl chose Buffkin. IMO lakers have wasted the last roster spot.” The concerning issue is that the LA’s bench currently produces just 28.0 points per game, the lowest mark in the league, leaving a clear need for instant offense.
Cam Thomas has shot 43.5 percent from the field for his career, including 34.3 percent from 3. Thomas is also quite good at making midrange jumpers (47 percent last season, 44 percent in 2023-24). So, the Lakers missed out on adding a prolific scorer, which netizens objected to.