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
Based on Charania’s report, the transfer will make Hood-Schifino an unrestricted free agent in 2025 and creates roster flexibility for a Lakers group presently set to start out the subsequent offseason over the wage cap.
If Hood-Schifino is traded this season, the $4 million declined choice is the max he may signal with as a free agent with the buying group. 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 may signal with as a FA with the buying group.
The identical goes with the Lakers.
Los Angeles has $176M in dedicated wage subsequent season, $10M under the projected tax threshold and effectively…
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 31, 2024
The 6-foot-5 Hood-Schifino was restricted to simply 21 video games in an injury-plagued rookie season. He first suffered a knee harm within the preseason.
The Pittsburgh native then sustained a significant again harm, resulting in a lumbar microdiscectomy in March.
In consequence, the again harm brought on 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 gives you one truly: Jalen performed rather well in the present day,” Russell stated of him final 12 months. “Aggressive. Made pictures. Acquired after it.”
Austin Reaves praised Hood-Schifino for bettering as a combo guard as effectively.
“Jalen regarded actually good in the present day for his first day,” Reaves stated. “So, tremendous excited simply to see what [he can] do.”
Based on 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%) capturing from the sphere, 1-of-2 (50%) from 3-point vary, and 3-of-6 (50%) on the free throw line.
