Rodney Hood expecting to be traded by Utah Jazz before trade deadline

Approaching the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline, Utah Jazz wing Rodney Hood is expecting to be traded, according to reports.

With the trade rumors heating up approaching Thursday’s 3 p.m. (ET) NBA Trade Deadline, those rumors have continued to swirl around the Utah Jazz.

Mainly, a player who has been in the middle of many trade rumors for months: Jazz wing Rodney Hood.

On Wednesday, those rumors cranked up a notch, as Hood is reportedly expecting to be traded by Utah prior to Thursday’s deadline.

According to Yahoo! Sports‘ Shams Charania, Hood is bracing for a potential move from the Jazz, a team he has spent nearly four seasons with.

"“My gut feeling is that I won’t be here by the deadline,” Hood said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I’ve felt isolated the past month and I would not be surprised if I was moved.”"

Following Wednesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Hood continued his career-best season with the Jazz.

In 39 games, Hood is averaging a career-high 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.8 minutes per game. He is also shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from the 3-point line, both career highs.

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As previously written in our piece predicting what will happen to Utah Jazz players prior to the deadline, we talked about Hood’s ability to be versatile, impact the game most notably on the offensive end as well as currently being on a good contract.

More specifically, Hood is able to play multiple positions, as well as being able to start or come off the bench. He can hurt an opponent from anywhere on the floor — most importantly from 3 — and is making just $2.5 million in the final year of his contract.

The mix of a career-best year and all of those attributes has led Hood to finding himself in the middle of trade rumors for a bulk of the 2017-18 regular season — something Hood admitted to Yahoo! Sports has been tough to deal with.

"“It’s been tough for me, it has been, but at the same time, my obligation is to have a job,” Hood said. “For my family, for my loved ones, my priority is to have a job and perform. I’ve had great times in Utah, but regardless of where I’m playing, whether it’s there or somewhere else, I’m going to stay professional. I’m going to stick with it.”"

Part of the reason why Utah might be looking to ditch Hood is due to the crowded number of wings it holds on its roster this season, especially since rookie Donovan Mitchell has emerged as the starting shooting guard in Salt Lake City.

The overflowing depth along with Hood emerging as Utah’s most valuable second unit asset, has set the stage for his exit this season in restricted free agency.

Next: 2017-18 Week 17 NBA Power Rankings

There has been a growing belief that Hood will be moved prior to the trade deadline on Thursday. According to the latest reports, Hood is expecting the same.

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