Jalen Hood-Schifino has yet to make any significant waves since the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in that 2023 NBA Draft. However, he showed some moments of promise during preseason and may get a chance this year to expand upon his skillset spending more time with the parent team.
With Hood-Schifino being a first-round pick, the Lakers signed him to a four-year, $17.9 million contract which is the rookie-scale deal for a No. 17 pick. As is the case with all first-round picks, Hood-Schifino got two guaranteed years under contract before the team has power over the third and fourth years of the deal.
On Thursday, it was reported that the Lakers are declining the third-year team option on Hood-Schifino, which comes as a bit of a surprise, via Shams Charania of The Athletic:
The Los Angeles Lakers are declining the third-year rookie option on guard Jalen Hood-Schifino worth $4 million for next season, sources told ESPN.
The move will make the 6-foot-5 combo guard an unrestricted free agent in 2025 and creates roster flexibility for a Lakers team currently set to start the next offseason over the salary cap.
Hood-Schifino, 21, would have made $4.06 million next season to be on the Lakers roster if his option was picked up but will instead be an unrestricted free agent.
While picking up the option would have given the Lakers more time to evaluate a young prospect, it appears they had seen enough to decide they did not want to commit to Hood-Schifino beyond this season.
The second-year guard is currently with the G League and will have plenty of opportunities to thrive in the brand new development system brought in by head coach JJ Redick. The more intriguing decision will come around the trade deadline, where he can now be used as salary filler since his contract is expiring.
Jalen Hood-Schifino learning from Gabe Vincent
Jalen Hood-Schifino wasn’t expected to be an immediate contributor, drafted as more of a project from the No. 17 slot in 2023, but the hope is that he can make a leap in Year 2.
He showed some flashes in the Lakers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He looked smoother than he had in his entire rookie season at the NBA level, finishing with six points, four rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes.
One of the reasons for this improvement could be the time he has spent learning from veteran Gabe Vincent over the last year. The two have had plenty of time to work together with both not playing much at the NBA level last season, and Hood-Schifino credits Vincent as an important veteran for him.
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