Lakers 1st-Round Pick Drawing Interest From 2 NBA Teams: Report

Jalen Hood-Schifino, whose third-year option was not picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers, is drawing interest from two teams, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.

“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 on his “NBA Insider Notebook” live stream on Bleacher Report. “Atlanta had an interest in him in that talk with Dejounte Murray last year. Utah, I believe, has shown interest in him.”

The Lakers are linked to Utah Jazz‘s young center Walker Kessler, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

But the latest intel from Sam Amick of The Athletic suggests the Lakers would have to pay a high price to pry away Kessler from Utah.

“While our Jovan Buha recently reported the Lakers have interest in Kessler, a Jazz source indicated the possible framework of a deal — D’Angelo Russell and multiple first-round picks — would not be of interest,” Amick wrote.

A Kessler-Hood-Schifino swap mathematically works, but the Lakers did themselves no favor by declining the 6-foot-5 guard’s third-year option.

The Jazz can sign Hood-Schifino, the No. 17 pick in 2023, outright in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

The Reason Behind the Jalen Hood-Schifino Decision

According to Charania, the Lakers made the move to create roster flexibility as they would operate next offseason as an over-the-cap team.

Hood-Schifino hasn’t seen action this season for the Lakers, who are off to a 4-2 start under rookie head coach JJ Redick.

According to Buha, Redick maintained his belief in the Lakers’ second-year guard despite their decision on his contract.

“I still believe in Jalen. We haven’t given up on him,” Redick said, per Buha.

Jalen Hood-Schifino Picked Over Cam Whitmore

In March, Lakers Lounge podcast host Anthony Irwin reported on LA Daily that Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager, overruled the team’s scouts to select Hood-Schifino over Villanova standout Cam Whitmore, who slid out of the lottery “amid reports of medical concerns and subpar workouts at the NBA Draft Combine.”

Whitmore ended up in Houston as the 20th overall pick.

“Another particularly sour note with fans this season has been the success of prospects drafted immediately after Jalen Hood-Schifino,” Irwin wrote. “Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been great for the Miami Heat. Brandin Podziemski is an impact player for Golden State. Cam Whitmore is averaging double digits this season. All three were available to the Lakers when Hood-Schifino was selected.”

Heat took Jaquez one pick after Hood-Schifino, while the Warriors selected Podziemski at No. 19.

“According to sources, the consensus pick was Kobe Bufkin. When he was selected 15th by the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers had to scramble,” Irwin continued. “Sources say the scouting department preferred Whitmore once Bufkin was off the board, but Pelinka and others higher up in the organization were concerned about his medical history. Pelinka, having seen Hood-Schifino play well in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, saw something special and made the final decision.”

Hood-Schifino only played 21 games last season under former Lakers coach Darvin Ham, averaging 1.6 points in 5.2 minutes.