The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be major players in the upcoming trade deadline as they try to build out a more competitive team. Los Angeles hardly made any moves over the offseason and entered this season with roughly the same team that was eliminated in the first round of the postseason.
They have a few intriguing options to move at the deadline and it seems that one guard is gaining some traction. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, multiple NBA teams are looking at young guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Los Angeles declined the final-year option on Hood-Schifino's rookie deal, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Fischer mentions the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz as two teams who could be interested in acquiring the former first-round pick.
"He will be playing in the G League this year, and he'll have plenty of opportunity to showcase himself, both in the G League in general and at the G league showcase when the entire league descends upon Orlando in December," Fischer said. "Atlanta had an interest in him in that talk with Dejounte Murray last year. Utah, I believe, has shown interest in him."
If the Lakers do elect to trade Hood-Schifino, he would most likely be used as a salary filler in a bigger trade. The six-foot-five guard was scheduled to make $4 million for the 2025-26 season.
Hood-Schifino was expected to be an addition to the Lakers roster but he hasn't shown any sign of consistency. While in the G-League, he has looked very much like the player Los Angeles believed they were drafting out of the University of Indiana.
With the South Bay Lakers, Hood-Schifino averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. But in 21 games with the big-league club, his numbers dropped significantly.
In 21 games for the Lakers, he averaged just 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. It was a poor showing all around but the Lakers may be able to turn him into an asset yet.
Los Angeles has already been rumored to be looking at Jazz center Walker Kessler so a swap could work with some other pieces going out from the Lakers side. But with the deadline not until, February, there is a lot of time to figure things out.
Read more: Lakers Reportedly Showing Trade Interest in Star Western Conference Center
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will end up trading Hood-Schifino but it could be in the team's best interest to not lose a former first-round pick for nothing.
For more Lakers and NBA news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.
English (US) ·