Cleveland Cavaliers: Rodney Hood comments on his free agent status

Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent Rodney Hood has only added intrigue to his free agent status.

Rodney Hood, a restricted free agent who the Cleveland Cavaliers have reserved a spot for next season according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, has everyone waiting for news for when — or even where — he’ll sign.

The attention should be expected considering that, outside of a future Hall of Famer in shooting guard Dwayne Wade, Hood is the most notable free agent left on the market. It should also be expected given the expectations that Hood would breakout last season and though he improved, dramatized events that transpired in Utah and a roller coaster ride in Cleveland have led to mixed reviews for the 25-year-old swingman.

One of those reviews came from an unnamed NBA scout, who would tell Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz that though he personally likes Hood, he thinks that he could be had for “a song and a dance” because nobody else wants him.

The scout mischaracterizes Hood’s free agency as an a problem of desire, failing to note the fact that only one team has enough cap space to make an eight-figure offer to Hood (and thus Hood is simply negotiating a contract with the Cavs but without additional leverage).

However, in an interesting twist, Hood took to Instagram to refute the idea that he was a little-desired player.

Per Hood:

"”Don’t believe this at all”"

When a user seemed to suggest he was unhappy, Hood would respond in kind:

"”Nah my brother. I’m blessed and highly favored. What reason would I have to be salty?””It’s not about the money. I’m livin my dream. Don’t take everything you hear as gospel. I’m happy.”"

Hood, who Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz said wants a short-term deal with a large salary, honestly only adds further intrigue to his free agency with his comments.

If the details of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ current offer were known, there would be more clarity.

However, without that information, the public can only surmise that if it’s not the money he’ll be paid, it’s the years he’ll be under contract.

That would make sense, too. In the future, Hood will want to secure a larger contract than he’s expected to get this offseason. As a result, a shorter deal works to his favor even if he’s being paid a little less than he wants to be paid in the interim.

Hood doesn’t seem unhappy but he does seem like he’s making business decisions.

But as they say about the NBA, it’s a business.