Report: Los Angeles Clippers Have Scouted Several Cavs Games, Have Eye on Rodney Hood

With the Cleveland Cavaliers falling further away from playoff contention, other teams are looking to pick up the pieces from the squad’s lost season.

According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Clippers have been scouting the last few Cavs games and have their eye on guard Rodney Hood:

“Hood is playing on a one-year qualifying offer worth $3.4 million. Because he’s on a qualifying offer, he can refuse any trade. The Cavs, meanwhile, are clearly rebuilding, and teams are studying them to scavenge spare parts. The Clippers, for instance, have scouted the last several Cleveland games, home and away.”

Hood, 26, has been having a modest season with the Cavs. In the middle of a wild season last year, the Cavs acquired Hood in a multi-team deal from the Utah Jazz. The five-year pro is putting up 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season. While those stats aren’t close to the career-high 16.8 points he was averaging with the Jazz last year, they’ve been good enough to catch the attention of other teams.

“The Clippers, like a lot of teams, need a wing (Hood is 6-foot-8),” wrote Vardon. “They don’t want to take on new money (his deal expires at year’s end). They have not explicitly expressed interest in Hood, I’m told. I’m telling you, though, that these are the Clippers’ needs and financial situation and they’ve been watching the Cavs play in person.”

Although Hood isn’t a star player in the league, he certainly has the potential to be one. At times this season, the guard has portrayed stellar production by scoring the ball at will and taking over games. In addition, with the guard’s contract set to expire after this season, teams are interested in obtaining Hood for financial, flexible reasons.

While Hood was a restricted free agent this past offseason, no team offered the veteran any solid offers. That led the former Duke University product to re-sign with the Cavs at the $3.4 million qualifying offer prior to the start of free agency. That move allows Hood to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.