Utah Jazz Made the Right Kind of Uncomfortable Gamble on Kobe Bufkin

The Utah Jazz made an uncomfortable roster decision hours before beginning their 2026-27 season. Utah reportedly waived Blake Hinson and used the resulting two-way opening to sign Kobe Bufkin, a former first-round pick still searching for NBA stability. Hinson’s shooting made him an easy player to support, so disappointment over his departure is understandable. However, the Jazz should not evaluate the bottom of their roster according to which player is easiest to like.

Utah already knows the attraction of Hinson’s game. He provided legitimate shooting and reportedly made 46.8% of his three-point attempts during his late-season opportunity. Shooting always carries value, especially for a roster built around several young creators. Still, the Jazz apparently decided they needed another player capable of handling the ball, attacking a defense and creating something when an offensive possession breaks down.

That is where Bufkin becomes interesting. The 23-year-old was selected 15th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, but his professional career has never developed enough rhythm to produce a fair conclusion. Limited NBA minutes and multiple organizational stops can make a former first-round pick appear less appealing than he actually is. Utah can give him developmental stability without promising him a permanent rotation role.

This should not be viewed as the Jazz betting on Bufkin’s draft position alone. Former first-round status means very little if the player has stopped developing. However, Bufkin has shown enough scoring and playmaking ability outside the NBA to justify another examination. A two-way contract is designed for exactly this type of calculated experiment.

Utah also has the infrastructure to make the gamble worthwhile. Bufkin can receive meaningful possessions with the Salt Lake City Stars while learning an NBA role that does not require him to dominate the ball. The Jazz can challenge him to defend, make quicker decisions and become reliable beside other creators. If those improvements arrive, Utah could uncover a useful young guard without sacrificing a standard roster position.

Hinson may eventually make this decision look uncomfortable. His size and shooting could earn him another opportunity, and losing a popular developmental player always carries risk. That does not automatically make Utah’s decision a mistake. Good roster building sometimes requires choosing the less obvious skill set before the need becomes impossible to ignore.

The Jazz are entering a season built around discovering how their young pieces fit together. Bufkin gives them another ball-handler who could eventually connect those pieces, even if his first contribution comes in the G League. Utah should be judged by whether it develops him, not by whether his name once appeared in the first round. This is a small transaction, but finding value in overlooked players is how a rebuilding organization creates advantages that eventually become difficult to replace.