Los Angeles, January 13, 2026, 22:30 PST
Key points
- The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract on Tuesday.
- Bufkin has been producing for the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ NBA G League affiliate.
- The short-term deal comes with Los Angeles squeezed by NBA salary-cap rules.
The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract on Tuesday, the team announced. 1
The move matters because a 10-day contract is the shortest standard NBA deal, and it signals how tight the Lakers’ roster options are right now. Hoops Rumors reported the contract will pay Bufkin $131,970 and carry the same cap hit for Los Angeles, which is operating at its first-apron hard cap — a payroll ceiling teams cannot cross once triggered under the NBA’s latest labor deal. 2
Shams Charania of ESPN reported earlier that the Lakers had agreed to the deal, noting Bufkin’s strong play for South Bay and a brief stint with Memphis this season. 3
Bufkin, 22, was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 draft and played college basketball at Michigan. He is listed as a guard on the Lakers’ roster on NBA.com. 4
Coach JJ Redick told reporters Bufkin has “shown he can be engaged and guard” with South Bay, adding that the newcomer may not play immediately but will get a chance over the 10-day window. 5
Bufkin’s deal is also a small piece of larger midseason churn for Los Angeles, which has leaned on its G League pipeline for depth while it navigates cap limits and a compressed schedule. Hoops Rumors said the Lakers were already projected to have limited flexibility for a longer signing later this month.
But a 10-day contract cuts both ways. Bufkin may not crack the rotation, and his recent track record includes limited NBA minutes and a season in which he did not appear during a previous 10-day opportunity, according to Hoops Rumors’ report.
The signing lands in a Lakers spotlight that is not just about roster math. Bronny James remains on the team alongside his father LeBron James, after signing a four-year rookie contract worth $7.9 million that ESPN previously reported included a team option in the fourth season. 6
Off the court, a Times of India report published Wednesday put the combined net worth of Bronny and his younger brother Bryce at about $11.3 million, citing estimates from Forbes and On3. The report also said Bronny’s endorsements included deals with brands such as Nike and Beats, while Bryce’s earnings were tied to NIL contracts. 7
Bryce James is listed as a freshman guard on Arizona’s 2025-26 roster, according to the university’s athletics site. 8
