Cleveland Cavaliers: Rodney Hood deal must work out

Rodney Hood recently accepted a one-year qualifying offer to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal needs to work out, for his sake and the team’s.

The drama of contract disputes is often gripping. As league superstars vying for lucrative contracts stole the headlines, the Cleveland Cavaliers quietly squabbled with wing Rodney Hood.

After failing to reach a long-term agreement with the Cavs or any other team as a restricted free agent, Hood signed his qualifying offer of $3.4 million for one year. Both sides need this seemingly minor deal to be a home run.

In other words, Cleveland hopes for more of this Rodney Hood:

The contract grants Hood a clean sheet. He averaged a career-high 16.8 points per game on 38.9 percent shooting from deep in 39 games while in a Utah Jazz uniform before the trade to Cleveland last season. His shooting percentage notched a career-high 42.4 percent. It’s not hard to do in a town known for a quiet nightlife, but Hood was one of the grooviest things about Salt Lake City.

His value plummeted following the trade to Cleveland. He floundered on the floor with LeBron James, as his two-man numbers involving The King were the ninth-worst on the team. It led to limited playing time. Hood’s game struggled as he averaged a near career low 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

The playoffs eviscerated his market value, as Hood scored just 5.4 points per game while shooting 16.7 percent from deep.

It’s likely why general manager Kolby Altman let Hood linger as a restricted free agent. The market wasn’t nibbling, let alone biting. Altman reportedly offered Hood a three-year, $21 million contract. Hood surprisingly turned it down, seeking a contract worth more than $9 million a year, according Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, before settling on the one-year qualifying offer.

Hood gambled, hoping he’s able to reach his full potential with another year of seasoning, leading to at least another zero on next year’s contract. The market is often rich with free agent options at wing though, and next year is no exception. Four of the game’s best — Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson — will be unrestricted free agents. That’s bad news for Hood.

Then there are the second-tier guys, names like Khris Middleton and Harrison Barnes. If Hood wants a rewarding deal, he’ll likely have to outperform those two players. Hood must make a quantum leap forward, taking on a bigger leadership role as the Cavs grow younger.

Sure, it’s a make or break year for the high-upside Hood. Still, it may be the Cavaliers who are more desperate for the wing’s progress. Kevin Love signed for two reasons when he inked his lucrative deal in front of local construction workers — himself, and with a promise by Cleveland ownership to compete next season.

As part of that promise, the Cavaliers told fans that the supporting cast is playoff-ready. The contract Love signed is the Cavs front office of telling its fans they’ve already got the goods to get back to the playoffs.

Cleveland may lose its 2019 first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks and likely lacks the cap space to snag a premier free agent until the max portion of Love’s contract expires. That means with Love’s contract on the books, Cleveland must make do with its current combination of players. With LeBron James’ departure, J.R. Smith’s regression and the likelihood that 37-year-old Kyle Korver will be dealt, Cleveland clearly thinks Hood is their desperately needed, reliable wing scorer.

By achieving his potential and fulfilling scouting reports touting him as a two-way wing, Hood would save the team and front office. His serious progression likely means the Cavs make the playoffs in the lightweight Eastern Conference while making the front office appear competent in a fragile, post-LeBron era.

Apart from just the team’s success, the reputation of Altman and the rest of the front office hangs on Hood’s play.

Cavs management looked at its team makeup and said “These young guys, including the one we gave up our franchise point guard to get, can compete if we sign Love.” Instead of sledge-hammering the roster post LeBron, the front office made the calculated decision to push for the playoffs for the next three seasons.

That’s three rebuilding years lost if young players like Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson and most significantly Hood fail to support Love and Collin Sexton (and it remains to be seen if Sexton is even worthy of build-around status).

Clearly, Hood is the one in the bunch with most versatility, raw talent and potential to be a superstar. If he blossoms, Cleveland competes. If he falters, the team likely meddles in mediocrity and the two sides part ways next summer. Even one of the most forgiving sports cities will likely be frustrated over the front office’s decision to not fully rebuild if that happens.