Rodney Hood Could Be Traded Before Deadline

JANUARY 20, 1:51pm: Expanding on Stein’s report from Friday, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that the Jazz have “increased efforts” to move Hood before February 8. According to Jones, there’s enough interest around the NBA that Hood will likely end up being dealt.

JANUARY 19, 9:25pm: There’s growing belief around the NBA that the Jazz could move swingman Rodney Hood before the trade deadline, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports (via Twitter). The scribe adds that several teams have already expressed interest.

Hood, the 25-year-old guard initially expected to shoulder more of Utah’s offensive load with Gordon Hayward out of the picture, has been underwhelming in his fourth season. While his 16.7 PPG are commendable, he doesn’t offer the Jazz the all-around package or general upside that standout rookie guard Donovan Mitchell has.

Hood, in the final year of his rookie deal, will hit restricted free agency this summer, so any team acquiring the shooting guard would essentially have several months to trial him as a possible long-term solution.

Hood’s underwhelming 2017/18 season recently boiled over in an incident earlier this month in which he slapped a phone out of a fan’s hand, resulting in a $35K fine.

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