Former Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino has joined a new team after the Lakers included him in the blockbuster Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
On Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Hood-Schifino agreed to a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers officially announced the move on Saturday as he’ll be taking David Roddy’s spot, who was previously on a two-way contract with Philadelphia.
Former Lakers first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino has agreed on a two-way NBA contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/OTFruKE5K7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 1, 2025
The former first-round pick was most recently with the Utah Jazz, who waived him days after he was sent to Utah as a part of the Doncic-Davis trade. Hood-Schifino never found his footing with the Lakers after being taken with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The 21-year-old guard appeared in 23 games in one and a half seasons with the Lakers. The former Indiana Hoosier standout averaged 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
In October, the Lakers declined Hood-Schifino’s $4.06 million option for the 2025/26 season, which wasn’t a good sign for his future with the club.
With him not getting much playing time with the Lakers, the team sent Hood-Schifino down to South Bay in the NBA G League. The former-first round pick had much better success in South Bay, averaging 22 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 35.4 minutes per game last season.
Hood-Schifino also shot 47.3 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from beyond the arc on 5.4 attempts per game.
Even though things did not work out for the former Lakers guard in Los Angeles, he’ll now get another opportunity with the Sixers to show that he belongs in the NBA. Since Hood-Schifino is on a two-way with the Sixers, he’ll spend most of his time in the G League with their affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
If Hood-Schifino can play well the remainder of the season, he might stick with the Sixers or land a lucrative deal elsewhere in the offseason.