Atlanta Hawks Exercise Contract Options for Bufkin and Daniels

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the third-year (2025-26) contract option for guard Kobe Bufkin and the fourth-year (2025-26) option for guard Dyson Daniels, the team announced today. As per team policy, the terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Kobe Bufkin, selected by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, averaging 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes per game. The Michigan product scored his first NBA point on October 29, 2023, against Milwaukee, knocking down a free throw.

Bufkin also made a strong impression in the NBA G League, starting 14 games with the College Park Skyhawks during the 2023-24 season. He averaged 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 32 minutes per game. In his Skyhawks debut on December 27, 2023, Bufkin scored 34 points, the most ever in a debut in the franchise’s history. He followed that up with a standout performance on January 15, 2024, posting 12 points, 12 assists, and five steals in a win over the Motor City Cruise, becoming the first player in Skyhawks history to tally 10+ points, 10+ assists, and 5+ steals in a single game.

Dyson Daniels, who joined the Hawks in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans on July 6, 2024, has been a defensive standout early this season. In four starts, Daniels has averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.0 block in 32.5 minutes per game, shooting 50% from the field and 35.3% from three. He currently leads the NBA in both total steals (11) and deflections (28), with his 28 deflections being 12 more than the next closest players.

Daniels was a 2024 Panini Rising Star, recording 1.4 steals per game during the 2023-24 campaign, ranking 10th in the NBA. He also had a .341 steal percentage, the fifth-highest in the league (min. 50 games played). On November 25, 2023, Daniels recorded a career-high six steals in a game against Utah, becoming the only second-year player to register at least six steals in a single game last season. All six steals came in the first half, tying for the most steals in a half in the league last season.

Selected eighth overall by the Pelicans in the 2022 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-7 Daniels has career averages of 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 124 NBA games. Prior to his NBA career, Daniels played for the NBA G League Ignite and was named to the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars roster. He also represented Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Both Bufkin and Daniels are integral parts of the Hawks’ young core, and the team’s decision to exercise their contract options signals confidence in their continued development and contributions moving forward.

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