Cleveland is still rebuilding the roster in the wake of losing LeBron James to the bright lights of Los Angeles. According to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer, the team is interested in bringing back Rodney Hood — at the right price. Pluto writes:
“The Cavs have extended Rodney Hood a $3.4 million qualifying offer for 2018-19. I’m told they are interested in signing the restricted free agent to a 3-year contract. My guess is it will be relatively modest, especially compared to what he hoped to receive when he came to the Cavs in February in a trade with Utah.”
Hood was not expecting to be in this position this time last year. He was a key player in Utah before being shipped to Cleveland in a trade deadline deal. After arriving in Cleveland his minutes took a slight hit, but his points per game dropped by six points. Hood struggled to find his place on the team.
But things are certainly different without James in town. Hood’s ability to shoot the ball, and score in general, are sorely needed on a team that’s losing LeBron’s 37.5 points per game last season.
Although Hood’s season took a turn for the worse in Cleveland, the shooting guard stepped up when given the opportunity in the NBA Finals. When Ty Lue needed to shake up his rotations, he turned to Hood, and the 25-year-old delivered.
Hood scored 15 points and grabbed six boards in Game 3. It was more of the same in Game 4 as he dropped 10 points and snagged eight rebounds. Of course, Hood’s efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Herculean Warriors, but perhaps it was enough to convince Cleveland to keep him around.