Jordi Fernandez on why Nets traded for guard Kobe Bufkin

After drafting three point guards in the first round in June, why would Brooklyn trade for a fourth that had been a first-round pick just two years ago?

Partly because they liked Kobe Bufkin that year, but he was long gone by the time they picked.

Maybe Nets assistant Juwan Howard, who had coached him at Michigan, put in a good word. But the main reason was simple.

“I don’t think you ever have enough ball handlers, right? Making plays for others is always important,” said coach Jordi Fernández, who saw his Nets add Bufkin to a point-guard platoon that includes rookies Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.

Bufkin played for Howard at Michigan and was on the Nets’ radar in 2023, but went No. 15 to the Hawks — six spots ahead of where Brooklyn took Noah Clowney.

But Bufkin made just 27 appearances for the Hawks in two years, and had season-ending shoulder surgery in December.

He averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in summer league. With reported interest from Indiana — known for developing guards — it was Brooklyn that snapped him up for cash.

“Obviously [Howard] knows the guy, and everything was very positive between Juwan, who knows him and speaks highly and positively about him,” Fernández said. “We also have our scouting department that knew [him]. … We were very high on him during the draft, and it was an opportunity to bring him in. So you put all that together, and that’s the reason why he’s here.”

Bufkin admitted Howard’s presence has helped him ease into Brooklyn.

“It’s definitely a big level of comfort. [Howard] is like family,” Bufkin said. “I spent two years with him. He was a mentor for me, kind of taught me about the league before I got to the league, what to expect, what not to expect. So it was good to see him.”

With Atlanta suddenly in a spot to compete, but also facing salary-cap issues a year down the line, Bufkin’s $6.9 million 2026-27 team option on Oct. 31 loomed large.

But for the rebuilding Nets, he was a no-brainer.

“This is a home run for the Nets,” Sam Vecenie of The Athletic said on the “Game Theory” podcast. “You absolutely take on Kobe Bufkin’s $4.5 million this year and I think you opt into the option at $6.9 next year and just say, ‘Hey, let’s see what it looks like.’ ”

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Fernández said Drake Powell is closer to coming back from knee tendinopathy than Dëmin is from his plantar fascia tear.

“[Powell] has been doing the non-contact part of practice. The next step is to do the contact. It’s gonna come soon,” Fernández said.

“[Dëmin] probably not as close as Drake is. But same thing, they’re following the proper steps, taking care of something that we don’t want it to linger. He’s doing a great job, and we’ll see him sooner than later.”

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BSE Global — parent company of the Nets and Liberty — opened the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center.

“We’re a resident of Brooklyn. On the Brooklyn Nets side, the borough’s name is on our jersey,” BSE Global CEO Sam Zussman said. “We feel a sense of commitment and belonging here. And on the other hand, we don’t exist without our fans. And this is something that also develops young fans, right?”