The Los Angeles Lakers made a surprise decision this past week when they declined the third-year team option on point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
The Lakers drafted Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in 2023 knowing that he would be a project that they would need to develop after just one season at Indiana.
Hood-Schifino struggled at the NBA level during his rookie season though and then was forced to undergo back surgery, causing him to miss the end of the season and then all of Summer League. While Hood-Schifino is still just 21 years of age, the Lakers felt they had seen enough to decide they didn’t want him under contract for around $4 million in 2024-25, so now he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.