Portland Trail Blazers should move away from Rodney Hood
Hood re-signs a second time
Enter the re-signing of Rodney Hood, part two, last November. Some considered the move to be risky, considering the question marks surrounding his ability to return to form after an injury that has ended several careers. Not only was he re-signed, but Hood also got a big raise.
His once much-needed skillset became moot with the emergence of Trent Jr and his steady three-point shooting. Not to mention Melo, with his ability to back down smaller defenders and create his own shot. Where was a recovering Hood going to get his minutes on a deep Portland Trail Blazers roster?
I don’t think the Blazers’ intention was for Hood to actually regain those minutes. There was a bit of optimism that Hood could carve out a new role if he returned to form. But ultimately, the new contract was a reward for taking a pay-cut to stay with Portland the previous offseason.
Another intent of a bigger contract was to use him as a salary filler asset. As a team that is over the cap, Portland could trade his $10M salary for a similar contract.
Rodney Hood’s non-guaranteed contract was basically designed to get traded. I’m expecting a deal as well.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) December 29, 2020
This does not mean that the team doesn’t value Rodney. I think he’s actually quite appreciated by his teammates and the passionate fanbase. With his slow return from injury, struggles to get back to pre-injury production, and with his contract becoming movable as of March 3rd, it’s time to thank Hood for his efforts with the team and look at how his contract can be moved to help strengthen team weaknesses.
Related Story: 4 trades the Blazers can make before the deadline
Do you think the Portland Trail Blazers should trade Rodney Hood? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.