LeBron James’ departure from Cleveland leaves a pretty large hole at the small forward position. The Cavaliers want to gamble on Rodney Hood to fill it.
The Cavaliers hoped acquiring Rodney Hood would help them win an NBA title last season. That was Cleveland’s only hope to keep LeBron James in northeast Ohio for the long haul. Unfortunately, Hood played the worst basketball of his career as the team fizzled out in the Finals.
Now that LeBron James has taken his talents to Los Angeles, the Cavaliers are trying to retool their roster. Evidently, Koby Altman and company still believe Hood can be a part of their team going forward. Reports from Cleveland claim the team wants to lock the versatile swingman down with a three-year contract.
The challenge will be finding a salary that works for both Hood and the team. He was a complete non-factor at times for the Cavaliers down the stretch. Hood even refused to check back in to one Cavaliers playoff loss because he believed he was above that sort of duty. His average of 10.8 points in his 21 regular season games with Cleveland was the lowest mark since his rookie season with Utah. Things got even worse for Hood in the playoffs when his scoring average dropped to a paltry 5.4 ppg.
Despite all that, Cleveland is smart to try to agree to terms on a multiyear deal with Hood. The odds strongly favor his value being at an all-time low at the moment. Playing alongside LeBron doesn’t work for everyone. It’s a solid bet that Hood’s production will improve in a lower pressure environment.
The Cavaliers also have plenty of playing time on the wing to dish out. If the season began today, Cedi Osman would be the starter at small forward. He’s a nice young player with some upside, but he’s not ready to be a starter at this point in his career. Hood would almost certainly play over him if he comes back to Cleveland.
The real key here is finding a salary that will make Hood a positive long-term asset. The Cavaliers believe they did this with Kevin Love’s extension, but they need to do a better job with Hood. A three-year deal paying him a couple million dollars less than the mid level exception would give Cleveland the chance to recoup serious value if they ever decided to move him. Something around three-years for a total of $18 million seems like a reasonable gamble for the Cavs and a decent amount of security for Hood.
Don’t be surprised if Hood elects to take his qualifying offer instead. That would pay him $3.4 next season and provide him the opportunity to hit the open market next summer. Hood would clearly be placing a big bet on himself to play well in 2018-19, but there will be more available cash for players next summer.
The idea of Cleveland signing Hood to a three-year deal is sound in theory, but the devil is in the details. If they can lock him in at a rate that’s significantly below the MLE, it’s a good deal for the team. If not, they should let him play his qualifying offer and figure things out next summer.