Kings may turn to Rodney Hood after missing out on Zach LaVine
By Jason Patt
Rodney Hood could be the Sacramento Kings’ next wing target in restricted free agency.
The Sacramento Kings signed Zach LaVine to a four-year, $78 million offer sheet over the holiday weekend, but the Chicago Bulls quickly matched the deal for the 23-year-old shooting guard. With the Kings’ cap space freed up again thanks to the Bulls’ decision, Vlade Divac and co. may turn to Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent Rodney Hood, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Jones reports the Kings have shown interest in Hood, though no offer sheet is imminent.
Sacramento has youngsters Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin Jackson in place on the wing, as well as veteran Iman Shumpert, but they’re clearly still looking for more help. Hood once appeared destined to be one of the most coveted wings on the market this summer, but his time with the Cavaliers tanked his value.
Hood was putting up nearly 17 points per game on 39 percent 3-point shooting with the Utah Jazz before his midseason trade to Cleveland. His scoring average dipped to 10.8 points per game with the Cavaliers in the regular season, and his true shooting percentage went from 55.1 percent to 53.3 percent.
The playoffs were a total disaster, and not just because he refused to enter a game in the fourth quarter. Hood scored just 5.4 points per game in 17 postseason appearances, and he managed to shoot a paltry 16.7 percent on 3-pointers. Cleveland was outscored by a whopping 18.3 points per 100 possessions in his 260 postseason minutes, by far the worst net rating on the team, per NBA.com. The 25-year-old also struggled in the 2017 Playoffs with the Jazz, shooting 35.2 percent in 11 games.
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Between his playoff struggles, general inconsistency and history of nagging injuries, Hood is a flawed player who the Kings or Cavaliers should be careful of investing in. He still has value as a scorer, though, and Sacramento has the cap space to make an offer that could give Cleveland pause when it comes to matching. The Cavaliers don’t want to lose talent for nothing as they rebuild in a post-LeBron James era, but they also don’t want to commit to mediocre long-term money.
The Kings could force the Cavaliers’ hand like they did with Chicago, though ironically enough the Bulls could also be a player for Hood if they’re still looking for wing help. The Bulls, Kings and Atlanta Hawks are the only teams left with meaningful cap space.