The Cleveland Cavaliers want to sign Rodney Hood to a three-year contract.
According to cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto, the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in signing 25-year-old restricted free agent Rodney Hood to a three-year contract.
Hood, a swingman who spent the first three and a half seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz before being dealt to the Cavs just prior to 2018’s NBA trade deadline, averaged 16.8 points per game for the Jazz and 10.8 points per game for the Cavs last season.
That the Cavs are rumored to be interested in signing Hood to a three-year deal is relatively unexpected though the Cavaliers have long said Hood is part of their future and there was a recent report that the Cavs were interested in signing Hood to a long-term deal.
Hood is also, without a doubt, the best free agent left on the market after center Clint Capela re-signed with the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Cavs Rodney Hood now becomes the best free agent left and it's not particularly close.
— Greg Swartz (@GregSwartzBR) July 27, 2018
However, with how long it’s taken to re-sign Hood, it’s always been possible that Hood would either choose to sign his $3.4 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 or that the Cavs would rescind the qualifying offer.
Signing the qualifying offer would lead to Hood pitting himself against what could be a stacked free agent class.
Rescinding the qualifying offer would put a significant dent in the Cavaliers plans to be a playoff-contender in 2018-2019.
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With the length of the potential deal being relatively long-term, which fits both the Cavs‘ and Hood’s desires, it’s likely that Hood is looking for a higher annual salary in the contact offer.
He’ll have to point to money that players like Marcus Smart (four years, $52 million), Zach Lavine (four years, $78 million) and Jabari Parker (two years, $40 million) were offered in the offseason but he entered the 2017-2018 as a potential breakout star with a chance to sign a max contract by the end of the season.
Unfortunately, having a tumultuous postseason as the chaser to a rocky regular season isn’t the best way to gain leverage in a contract year.
Hood will — but shouldn’t —get shortchanged because of his playoff struggles, considering the frequent role changes and improper use that were two of the three factors that led to his underwhelming numbers. His lack of aggressiveness in the postseason was the third factor.
However, based on proven skill and potential, Hood is worth a pretty penny. Even an up-and-down 2017-2018 season, he was just one of 24 players to average at least 14.5 points per game while shooting at least 38.0 percent from three.
A few other players on that list?
Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown, Los Angeles Lakers small forward Brandon Ingram, Denver Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris and Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard J.J. Redick.
None of these players averaged above 17.5 points per game (keep in mind, Hood averaged 16.8 points per game for the Jazz prior to the trade) last season, so they’re solid comparisons. All of these players were showered with praise for their play in 2017-2018.
If Hood’s underwhelming performances lead him to the same level as players like Redick and Harris, then the primary issue for Hood is perception. He either has more potential than those players or he had an underrated regular season. At the very least, though his postseason was tough for him individually, his potential showed in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
Furthermore, to point out Hood’s individual struggles without mentioning the stark contrast between how he was used in Utah (primarily as an on-ball playmaker) versus Cleveland (primarily as an off-ball shooter), does Hood an extreme disservice.
If Hood wants to more money annually, I would suggest that the Cavs give him the contract he wants. However, I would do it on a 2+1 deal that leaves the third and final year of his contract as a team option in case he can’t live up to the total value of the contract.
If the Cavs don’t want to give him that amount money, then I would suggest Hood signs a 2+1 deal that has a player option in the final year of the contract so that he can sign a more lucrative deal after he improves his market value.
In addition, if he wants to avoid the free agent battle royal that will that place in the summer of 2019, entering the 2020 offseason as a free agent could be the best option for him.
In any case, though the Cavs and Hood still have to find middle ground, that they’re interested in him returning for three years is good for Hood and a franchise that’s trying to keep their status as a playoff-contender.
*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com