The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t make a huge splash ahead of the Feb. 7 NBA Trade Deadline, but they made a small move that could help them during their playoff push.
Rodney Hood gets a fresh start in trade to Trail Blazers
Portland’s adding a shot creator for the second half of their season.
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
The Trail Blazers sent Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin and two future second-round picks to the Cavaliers for Rodney Hood, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal gives Portland some talent, depth and an added shot-creator on the wing.
The Cavaliers traded for Hood last season when they blew up the roster in the middle of the season. He never found his footing playing off of LeBron James. Hood went from averaging 17 points per game in the first half of the season with Utah to just 10.8 points during the latter stretch of his season in Cleveland.
Hood, though, is a known scorer and streaky shooter. Whether Portland chooses to start him or bring him off the bench, he should give this team a boost while they make their playoff push.
This is another smart trade for Cleveland, too
The Cavaliers moved on from a player who does not fit their rebuilding mold. In trading hood, Cleveland gets two future second-round picks, which have become coveted in recent years due to gems found late in recent NBA Draft classes.
Baldwin is 22 years old and has not played a substantial amount of time now in his third season in the NBA. Nik Stauskas is a streaky shooter who hasn’t caught on with a team yet in his career.
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