Portland Trail Blazers forward Rodney Hood is bound to test the free agency waters after declining his $6 million player option for the 2020-2021 NBA season, as per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. His most recent campaign was cut short due to a torn Achilles injury sustained last season and is currently heading to the final season of his two-year, $16 million contract signed back in July 2019.
Portland Trail Blazers F Rodney Hood is declining his $6M player option and becoming a free agent, sources tell ESPN. Hood’s had nearly a full year to recover from a torn Achilles injury and can play right away with a new team.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
The former Duke standout has been a solid pickup for the Blazers ever since he came to Portland via a trade by the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin IV, and two future second-round picks.
He tallied better numbers in his previous stint with the Cavs but still emerged as a valuable contributor for the Blazers where he tallied norms of 9.6 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 rebounds in his first season with his new team.
Hood was pivotal in the team's playoff run in the 2018-2019 season but succumbed in a series sweep to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Hood managed to carry over the momentum in the 2019-2020 season and bumped his averages to 11.0 points, 1.5 assists, and a career-best 3.4 rebounds per game in 21 games played as a starter for the Blazers.
Coincidentally, he suffered a torn Achilles injury in a 136-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers back on December 6, 2019. It turned out to be the same squad who eliminated the Blazers in five games during the opening-round proceedings of the 2020 NBA Playoffs in the Orlando Bubble.
Having undergone a long road to recover from his injury, the incoming nine-year veteran is looking to start anew and pick up where he left off this time with another team.
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