The center-depleted Los Angeles Lakers are among several NBA teams monitoring Brooklyn Nets’ former first-round pick Day’Ron Sharpe, according to a report by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
“Sharpe, who’s eligible for restricted free agency this summer, is being monitored by the Grizzlies, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers, and Raptors, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto reported.
Sharpe is set to make his season debut on Monday, December 2, against the Chicago Bulls after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The 23-year-old Sharpe, selected 29th overall in 2021, is coming off his best NBA season, recording career highs across the board: 6.8 points on 57.1% field goal shooting, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 15.1 minutes per game as Nic Claxton’s backup.
With the emergence of Noah Clowney, Sharpe, who will become a restricted free agent after this season, could be deemed expendable by the Nets.
Standing at 6-foot-9, Sharpe fits the profile of the player that rookie head coach JJ Redick has been seeking to support Anthony Davis.
“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster,” Redick said in an interview with Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five man, a big bruising five man.
“You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”
Lakers Frontcourt Depth Continues to Dwindle
The Sharpe rumors come on the heels of yet another injury to the Lakers’ frontcourt. Anthony Davis’ primary backup, Jaxson Hayes, re-sprained his right ankle against the Phoenix Suns on November 26 and is expected to miss two to three weeks, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Even before the season began, injuries plagued the Lakers’ big men. Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) remain sidelined with no clear return date.
This rash of injuries has left the Lakers among the league’s worst rebounding teams. Entering December 2, they rank 27th, averaging just 40.6 rebounds per game.
Nets’ Interest in Jalen Hood-Schifino Could Pave Way for Trade
Could the Nets’ reported interest in Jalen Hood-Schifino facilitate a potential trade involving Sharpe?
The Nets are reportedly one of three teams that have shown interest in Hood-Schifino, per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer during a November 2 livestream. The Lakers’ decision not to pick up the second-year guard’s third-year option makes him an expiring contract and a potential trade chip.
“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 noted. “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.”
However, a straight Hood-Schifino-for-Sharpe swap would not work under the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as it would push the Lakers over the salary cap’s apron.
The Lakers could add additional salaries, such as Wood’s expiring contract, to make the deal feasible. Alternatively, the Lakers could pursue an expanded trade, acquiring Sharpe alongside Dorian Finney-Smith or Cam Johnson, potentially using one of their two available first-round picks to sweeten the deal.
