Detroit Pistons Reportedly Targeting Jazz Guard Rodney Hood Before NBA Trade Deadline
It looks like the Detroit Pistons are looking to make one more move in the days leading up to the trade deadline next week.
According to Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler, the Pistons are interested in acquiring Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood, and they are reportedly considering sending Stanley Johnson the other way. "Word in NBA circles is the Pistons have ramped up efforts to move out Stanley Johnson, with an eye for Utah's Rodney Hood. It remains unclear if the Jazz engages in a deal built around Johnson, but the Pistons are being aggressive," Kyler said in his report.
"As things sit post-trade, the Pistons have $111.9 million guaranteed to just nine players, so adding a potential free agent like Hood looks to be exactly what Gores was suggesting. The Pistons are going all in on this roster," he continued.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor has also reported the same thing.
The Pistons seem to have decided to go all-in on a playoff push after they acquired Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this week, and acquiring Hood would be another step in the right direction. He is an excellent perimeter shooter who can help the Pistons in their area of need.
Hood is averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in under 29 minutes a game this season. He is also shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Johnson has not quite developed into the two-way player that the Pistons envisioned when they made him the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, but those expectations were probably far too lofty, to begin with.
The former University of Arizona standout is seen as a liability on the offensive because of his inability to score efficiently, but he is actually a solid defensive player who has the size to defend multiple positions.
