Jalen Hood-Schifino Still Offers Value to JJ Redick's Lakers amid NBA Trade Rumors

When hoops historians look back on this period of Los Angeles Lakers' lore, their 2023 NBA draft-night investment in Jalen Hood-Schifino will be remembered as a mistake.

While unpredictability is unavoidable with virtually any draft pick, the 17th slot—where Hood-Schifino was taken—is supposed to provide something of value. That the Lakers already decided they've seen enough (or perhaps have seen too little) of Hood-Schifino to decline his third-year option shows the franchise is unlikely to extract value from this pick.

That's how it appears on the surface, at least.

While his future in Hollywood might already be on borrowed time, he can still offer something to this organization. Even if he can't help the Lakers directly, the 21-year-old might be able to help fetch someone on the trade market who can.

If you're wondering what level of trade interest exists in someone with 109 career minutes, that's fair. According to the rumor mill, though, the answer is more than zero.

As Jake Fischer reported for Bleacher Report (via Silver Screen and Roll), at least three suitors have or have previously had interest in Hood-Schifino:

"Atlanta had interest in him in that talk with Dejounte [Murray] last year. Utah, I believe, has shown interest in him, to my knowledge, in those talks about Walker Kessler. Brooklyn, I've been told, is a team that has interest in him. So, just keep an eye on Jalen Hood-Schifino as a potential outgoing salary expiring deal."

For teams with longer timelines than the Lakers, Hood-Schifino should retain some appeal as a second-draft candidate.

Sure, he's done next to nothing at this level, but that also means he hasn't failed at this level, either. It's not that he sank instead of swam, rather he was never given the opportunity to do either.

Youth is still very much on his side, too. For instance, he's more than two years younger than Lakers rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht.

And let's not forget, there are reasons why L.A. felt confident about its initial investment in Hood-Schifino.

His prospect profile on NBA.com leading up to the 2023 draft highlighted his positional size (6'6", 215-pound point guard), his "great vision, passing and handling," and his potential to "defend multiple positions in the NBA."

During his one-and-done run at Indiana, Hood-Schifino was crowned Big Ten freshman of the year. His per-40-minutes averages included 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

He proved even more productive in the G League last season. Over 15 outings, he averaged 22 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 35.4 minutes. He also shot a rock-solid 47.3 percent from the field and a red-hot 43.2 percent from the perimeter.

That production, when paired with his physical tools and untapped potential, creates an intriguing package for the right, future-focused team. The Lakers clearly aren't that club, but if they can find that team, they should be able to work out a trade that gives Hood-Schifino a fresh start, their trade partner a new developmental project and themselves a possible plug-and-play contributor.

This may not be what L.A. had in mind when it drafted him, but there's still a real chance the franchise sees some type of return on that investment.