Per Amico Hoops‘ basketball insider Sam Amico, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Rodney Hood has been drawing interest from the Philadelphia 76ers with the league’s trade deadline just a couple of months away:
It’s hard to imagine either Rodney Hood or Alec Burks being on the team following the Feb. 7 deadline. Both have smaller, expiring contracts. I’ve heard Burks is already drawing interest, with the Boston Celtics and injury-plagued Denver Nuggets among the teams mentioned. The Philadelphia 76ers are said to be among those with an interest in Hood.
Hood, at 26-years-old, does seem to fit into the Cavs potential plan of staying young, with potential mainstays like Jordan Clarkson (26-years-old) and Larry Nance (who will be 26-years-old on January 1st) being the same age as the fifth-year veteran.
However, Hood is on an expiring contract after signing a one-year qualifying offer in his restricted free agency rather in lieu of the three-year contract the Cavs offered (per cleveland.com‘s Joe Vardon). Players on expiring contracts are always potential trade chips given the willingness teams have to take on players that they don’t have to guarantee long-term contracts to if they aren’t sure they’ll fit.
After Hood’s stint in Utah and Cleveland, Philadelphia — or any team — would be right to wonder how the herky-jerky lefty fits into their offense. Though he’s made strides as a facilitator and defender this season and grown increasingly comfortable putting the ball on the floor to get to his shot, Hood is a streaky shooter who’s aggressiveness and confidence tends to come and go.
As such, there’s never a guarantee what you’ll get from Hood on a night-to-night basis. Further, after the pressure of the performing in the playoffs with a spotlight on him seemed to make him shrink in the moment, there’s question of whether he’ll be able to be a consistent impact player for teams in championship contention. Like the Cavs. Like the Sixers.
Hood, who was expected to be the team’s second-leading scorer entering the season, has taken a backseat to Clarkson (a Sixth Man of the
Year candidate), Tristan Thompson (who has developed into a reliable low-post option) and rookie point guard Collin Sexton (who has thrived in a starting role).
Averaging 12.8 points (ranked fifth on the team), 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 steals in 28.0 minutes per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range, Hood’s numbers are solid if he was just a name but because of the potential he displayed leading up to his trade to the Cavs, he’s expected to be performing better.
Though he’s scored at least 20 points in five games this season, Hood has been inconsistent. This is in part because he’s without a defined role in Cleveland, in part because he’s not a consistently aggressive player and in part because the Cavs are a wing-heavy team.
That said, though Philadelphia just acquired a wing in All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, they only rank 14th in the league in three-point percentage and could view Hood as a replacement for three-point specialist Robert Covington or even veteran sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who’s 34-years-old, on a one-year contract with the Sixers and shooting a career-worst 35.0 percent from three-point range.
Hood would be a serviceable wing for them now but possibly even more important in the future. Especially if Butler doesn’t re-sign.
The Cavs would likely want to move Hood as part of a deal involving draft picks or Sixers former first overall pick Markelle Fultz, who seems to need a change of pace from his current environment as well as time to heal a complex injury. Cleveland, an up-and-coming young team, can give him that.
*All stats gathered from Basketball Reference