Nets waive David Muoka a day after signing to clear roster space for Kobe Bufkin trade
Brooklyn signed Muoka to a non‑guaranteed deal and cut him the next day to complete a trade and preserve flexibility; a return to G League Long Island is likely.
The Brooklyn Nets waived forward David Muoka on Tuesday, one day after signing him to a standard NBA contract, a move the team said created the roster space needed to complete a trade for guard Kobe Bufkin.
Brooklyn signed Muoka to a non‑guaranteed one‑year deal and announced his release the following afternoon as it finalized the acquisition of Bufkin from Atlanta. A league source told the New York Post that Muoka is likely to rejoin the Nets’ G League affiliate Long Island, where he played during the 2023‑24 season. Brooklyn structured Muoka’s contract to preserve that option.
The roster move was driven by Opening Night requirements and salary‑cap management. Teams must be down to 15 standard contracts and can carry three two‑way players when the regular season begins. The Nets entered training camp with 15 guaranteed contracts, four non‑guaranteed deals and two two‑way agreements, leaving little room to add incoming players without waiving or moving others.
Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks has used the franchise’s league‑leading cap space this offseason to absorb several salary dumps from other teams. The Nets took on Michael Porter Jr., Haywood Highsmith and Terance Mann in earlier transactions that yielded future draft assets, and they acquired Bufkin in a deal that added a young, lower‑cost prospect to the roster. Bufkin, the 15th pick in the 2023 draft, will earn roughly $4.5 million this season, and the Nets hold a team option for 2026‑27 that must be exercised by Oct. 31.
Cap analyst Yossi Gozlan noted that Muoka’s contract was structured as a rookie‑minimum non‑guaranteed deal with a partial guarantee of $85,300 — the maximum Brooklyn could give while preserving Muoka’s two‑way eligibility and keeping him eligible to play for Long Island. The team could increase its cap room from about $11.5 million to roughly $20.15 million by waiving all non‑guaranteed players, Gozlan added, and Marks may still be seeking another minimum‑salary incoming player to help the Nets meet the league’s $139.2 million salary floor.
Muoka played 38 games for Long Island in 2023‑24, averaging 4.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.7 minutes per game. He also participated in Las Vegas Summer League with the Nets last year. The organization currently has two two‑way contracts in place with Tyson Etienne and E.J. Liddell, leaving one two‑way slot open; reports indicate the Nets are also adding Fanbo Zeng and Ricky Council IV to camp rosters and could convert one of the remaining non‑guaranteed deals into a two‑way.
By design, the short‑term signing and quick waiver allow Brooklyn to keep Muoka within the organization’s broader player pipeline while clearing a roster spot to finalize the trade for Bufkin. The Nets now must continue trimming the roster and managing cap commitments before Opening Night, balancing the desire to preserve future draft assets with the need to meet league roster and salary requirements.
The team’s next steps are likely to include final roster cuts, possible additional waivers or trades to adjust salary figures, and decisions on the remaining training‑camp invites and two‑way spots. For Muoka, the immediate outlook is a likely return to Long Island, where he can continue to develop while remaining available for a call‑up should Brooklyn need depth during the regular season.