Boston Celtics: 3 deals for the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline
2. Rodney Hood
Why the Celtics say yes:
Rodney Hood is a talented player who can score the ball with ease. When he’s feeling it, he’s feeling it. His contract is up at the end of the year, which is good news for the Celtics, as his trade value is a lot lower than what it should be. It gets even better… he’s still just 25 years old and will have a lot of more good years ahead of him.
Hood has the ability to become an instant spark off the bench who controls the game solely on scoring the ball. This season he’s averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 38.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.
We know how bad the Boston bench has been this season, so it only makes sense to go out and get a great scorer. This would help their run to the playoffs in a great way because he can come in and help the team keep their foot on the pedal while the starters are resting.
Why the Jazz say yes:
After missing the playoffs for a few years, Gordon Hayward finally ended those sorrows with a playoff berth. Sadly, he did depart from the city that drafted him and now Utah is hurting sorely.
This season the Jazz are having has been a disappointment. They’re 3.5 games behind the 8-seed, the Denver Nuggets. Rudy Gobert has been in and out of the lineups with injuries. Ricky Rubio has not been the same player he was in Minnesota. But hey, it’s not all bad, the Jazz found a gem in rookie Donovan Mitchell.
It only makes sense for the Jazz to trade away players that they know they might not sign after the season’s over. More than likely, they will try and build for future knowing they don’t have much going for them until Mitchell hits his prime.
Getting a first round pick out of this deal is the main thing for the Utah Jazz, but if that’s not enough, the Celtics have plenty of extra first-rounders to put on the table — assuming that’s the route they want to take, which may not be the case given Hood’s impending restricted free agency. In any case, this would be a nice push toward the rebuild that is going to be taking place in Utah fairly soon.