Utah Jazz: Bleacher Report pins Portland as ideal landing spot for Rodney Hood

With Utah Jazz wing Rodney Hood on the trade block, it’s quite likely that he’ll be on another team before the year’s end. One Bleacher Report writer has suggested that the Portland Trail Blazers would be his ideal landing spot.

It’s like clockwork. The speculation and rumors leading up to the trade deadline are usually always just as exciting, or even more so, than the actual moves that end up happening. This year is looking no different as there are rumors flying around regarding a seemingly endless amount of significant players. Kemba Walker, DeAndre Jordan, Isaiah Thomas, Damian Lillard – you name it and there’s probably a rumor about them!

And the Jazz are far from missing out on the fun as they have four players of their own that many consider quite likely to be on the move – Derrick Favors, Joe Johnson, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. Of course, the most surprising of that bunch is Hood. While many viewed him as a possible though unlikely trade piece considering that Utah holds the keys to retain him in restricted free agency, it appears that such isn’t exactly the case.

In fact, recent reports have indicated that not only are the Jazz open to moving Hood, but they’re actively shopping him. This was quite the announcement considering that Hood could very well be considered one of Utah’s most valuable trade pieces.

The question is – who will have what the Jazz are looking for in return and if a deal is made, where will Rodney Hood end up?

That’s obviously anybody’s guess. But in a recent Bleacher Report article, author Grant Hughes selected his ideal landing spot for Rodney Hood and it actually would make a lot of sense. His pick? The Portland Trail Blazers.

Here’s what he had to say about the young wing’s fit on the Blazers squad:

"Rodney Hood is an intriguing player as he approaches free agency—one who has improved in every year of his career but remains something less than a star shooting guard. That’s fine; the Portland Trail Blazers have two backcourt dynamos already. What they lack is a wing who can do anything to get shots for himself or anyone else.That’s where Hood excels."

I’ve got to admit. Hood isn’t without his faults, but if he can find any sort of consistency from deep, putting him alongside two electrifying three-point shooters in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum could be quite the grouping. Not only that, but as was mentioned in the Bleacher Report article, Hood is better at creating his own shot than both of Portland’s main two wings – Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu – so his addition could help to jump start their offense.

However, while Portland may very well be an ideal destination for Hood, the question that remains is, does Portland have what it takes to trade for him and get him there? Of course, Jazz fans would lose their minds if they were able to somehow acquire Damian Lillard, but as my J-Notes partner in crime Ryan Aston made clear today, that’s far from a realistic possibility, especially in an exchange that nets Portland little more than Hood.

Perhaps McCollum could be pried away if there was some serious swapping done on both sides, but that seems extremely unreasonable and unlikely as well. Other than those two players, I don’t know who else Portland has to offer that is really moving the needle much for the Jazz. Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless could potentially be intriguing, but to make salaries match up, the Jazz would have to include another player besides Hood whether going for one or both of them.

I’m already not sure that the value matches up, let alone when you add additional guys into the mix. Not only that, but especially in the case of Harkless, is that really a contract that Utah would want to take on? If all these signs are indicating that a trade involving either Aminu or Harkless won’t work, then tell me who else on Portland’s roster would Utah want in exchange? Can’t find anything? Me neither.

So while Portland could very well be an ideal fit for Rodney Hood, if the Utah Jazz do end up dealing the fourth-year pro out of Duke, I believe the Blazers will have a hard time landing him. If the Blazers agree with the opinion expressed in the aforementioned Bleacher Report article that Rodney in Portland would be an ideal fit, their best bet of nabbing him will likely be in restricted free agency.

And even then, their chances may be slim. Portland isn’t exactly bursting with cap space to extend a lucrative offer. And if they’re unable to trade for him prior to the trade deadline, whatever team he does end up with will likely be aiming to pay him to stay on board long-term. In other words, while a nice idea, the pieces may not be in place for Hood to end up in a Blazers uniform.

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Regardless of where Hood ends up, though, or if the Jazz decide to simply hold on to him, I hope that he lands somewhere that he can maximize his talents. He’s had ups and downs in Utah, to be sure, but in an appropriate situation, Rodney could certainly thrive.

All I can say is that the trade deadline can’t come soon enough so all this speculation can be either resolved or put to bed.