Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 reasons to re-sign Rodney Hood

3. Hood is a bargain buy

Have you ever shopped for shorts at Macy’s when it is 15 degrees outside? Smart bargain seekers can easily snag a pair of khaki’s for $10, or a nice shirt for $8. Few people think about summer in the dead of winter, let alone shop for it. They just want to make it through January without losing a toe to frostbite.

So you, the smart buyer, make out like a bandit setting your summer wardrobe and you still have enough money for a Coke at the cash register. That’s sort of the position the Cavaliers are in with Rodney Hood.

Had he performed well, say earned a starting spot over Smith and lit up the Eastern Conference playoffs alongside James, someone would have made Hood an unmatchable offer weeks ago. Hood fell hard last year, from the supposed heir apparent to Gordon Hayward in Utah, to a player who struggled to find playoff minutes in Cleveland.

Now, the best free agents are picked over. Teams are mostly set for the upcoming year, and Hood is still without a long-term deal. The Cavaliers possess the leverage.

Hood’s value can only spike. If Cleveland inks him for the qualifying offer of $3.4 million, he likely improves to a point where the cap-straddled Cavs can’t afford him next offseason. So, the smart move is slip Hood a reasonable deal, one that fits within the team’s limited budget but also entices the youngster to stay…if that is even possible.

Hood is not the most stylish item at the store. Those stretch Italian trouser pants were picked over long back. But he’s serviceable, potentially a major bargain, and is Cleveland’s for the taking since no one else is shopping.