Utah Jazz: Five potential trade options involving Rodney Hood

Jazz take advantage of chaos in Cleveland to nab Kevin Love

It’s no secret that the defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers are going through a tough stretch right now. The once daunting squad has now lost seven of its last ten games and has been absolutely atrocious on defense. With that being the case, there’s already been a number of reports that the Cavs will be active at the deadline as they look to make a move that will help them make a return to the Finals.

So perhaps the Jazz would be able to strike up a deal with a Cavs team that’s desperate for some answers. The second trade that Andy Bailey suggested involved the Jazz sending quite a haul – Favors, Hood, a filler player and a pick for Cleveland’s stretch-four Kevin Love.

Favors and Hood alone wouldn’t be enough because the salaries wouldn’t match up, so perhaps the Jazz would be able to attach the likes of Joe Johnson or Alec Burks to the deal, depending on how much the Cavs liked the thought of having Hood and Favors. Favors would certainly be a defensive upgrade over Love, but a significant offensive downgrade. Meanwhile, it’s anybody’s guess whether or not the Cavs would even see Hood as valuable enough at all to do the transaction.

Not only that, but given Love’s value, it’s almost a certainty that Utah would have to include a pick along with the three players to get the Cavs to pull the trigger. Even that feels like a long-shot as I think the Cavs are looking for more of a solution than what Favors, Hood and a filler player would provide. Although, Dwyane Wade did once call Alec Burks the most underrated player in the league, so maybe the Jazz can trick the Cavs into taking him as that third player and make the deal happen (don’t worry, I’m mostly joking).

Even if Cleveland was looking to deal Love and liked what Utah had to offer, on the Jazz’s end they may be hesitant to take on Love’s hefty contract unless they’re sure he’ll be the ideal stretch-four for their system. The Jazz are going to be cautious about any long-term contracts they take on before knowing what they may be able to do this summer, so that will be a point of consideration for them.

Still, if the chance to nab a star like Kevin Love came up (who could be a perfect fit alongside Rudy Gobert, I might add) the Jazz would probably take a serious look at it. If he could be had for three players likely on the trade block anyway as well as a pick, that’s probably a deal they pull the trigger on in spite of the risks.