The Los Angeles Lakers are declining the third-year rookie choice on guard Jalen Hood-Schifino value $4 million for subsequent season, sources knowledgeable ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
Los Angeles Lakers declined the third-year rookie choice of Jalen Hood-Schifino to create roster flexibility
In accordance with Charania’s report, the transfer will make Hood-Schifino an unrestricted free agent in 2025 and creates roster flexibility for a Lakers crew at the moment set to begin the subsequent offseason over the wage cap.
If Hood-Schifino is traded this season, the $4 million declined choice is the max he might signal with as a free agent with the buying crew. Los Angeles has $176 million in dedicated wage subsequent season, $10 million under the projected tax threshold.
Hood-Schifino, 21, was chosen seventeenth general within the 2023 NBA draft after an distinctive freshman season at Indiana. He averaged 1.6 factors and 0.6 rebounds in 21 video games off the bench final season and has not performed in 2024-25.
Within the occasion Hood-Schifino is traded this season, the $4M declined choice is the utmost he might signal with as a FA with the buying crew.
The identical goes with the Lakers.
Los Angeles has $176M in dedicated wage subsequent season, $10M under the projected tax threshold and properly… https://t.co/BAxxvo4h8R
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 31, 2024
The 6-foot-5 Hood-Schifino was restricted to only 21 video games in an injury-plagued rookie season. He first suffered a knee harm within the preseason.
The Pittsburgh native then sustained a serious again harm, resulting in a lumbar microdiscectomy in March.
In consequence, the again harm brought about him to overlook a lot of the second half of final season. To make issues worse, restoration from that surgical procedure saved him out of the Summer time League.
Hood-Schifino had help from teammates
By the point Hood-Schifino was wholesome for the preseason, he underperformed, averaging 4.5 factors, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 19.8 minutes. In different phrases, a commerce is feasible for the second-year guard.
It’s unlucky contemplating the help Hood-Schifino obtained from Lakers teammates when he was first drafted.
“I offers you one really: Jalen performed very well at this time,” Russell mentioned of him final 12 months. “Aggressive. Made pictures. Bought after it.”
Austin Reaves praised Hood-Schifino for enhancing as a combo guard as properly.
“Jalen seemed actually good at this time for his first day,” Reaves mentioned. “So, tremendous excited simply to see what [he can] do.”
In accordance with Basketball-Reference, of the 2023 NBA draft picks, solely Jett Howard (taken eleventh by Orlando) and Dariq Whitehead (taken twenty second by Brooklyn) have performed fewer minutes than Hood-Schifino.
In Los Angeles’ 133-107 win over the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 29, 2023, he recorded a career-high 10 factors on 3-of-4 (75%) taking pictures from the sphere, 1-of-2 (50%) from 3-point vary, and 3-of-6 (50%) on the free throw line.
