Most years, general manager Dennis Lindsey prefers to be more subtle at the NBA trade deadline. But as the clock ticked away on Thursday, an opportunity arose.
By day’s end, the Jazz had turned the page on Rodney Hood, sending him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Jae Crowder in a three-team deal that swapped out a major part of Utah’s roster.
Even Lindsey said he was waiting to see how it works out for the Jazz (26-28), who sit 2 1/2 games back in the Western Conference playoff chase. In Crowder, a low-cost, gritty defender, the Jazz believe they have a piece who could be a good fit with the current group.
“The way he plays — the physicality, the strength he adds to our group, his mentality — it’s a snug fit,” Lindsey said Thursday evening. “We’re definitely in it for the long haul.”
The move was a seismic one by Jazz standards, even for a trade deadline that was fraught with rumors. In addition to packing up Hood, the team’s second-leading scorer at 16.8 ppg., the Jazz shipped veteran forward and four-time All-Star Joe Johnson to the Sacramento Kings, who are expected to release him.
In addition to Crowder, the Jazz also received former MVP Derrick Rose. But Lindsey confirmed that the team will soon release him, freeing him up to choose his next team. Former Jazzman George Hill left the Kings for the Cavaliers in the deal as well.
The Jazz got a defender in Crowder they’ve long coveted, and shook themselves out of a potential payday for Hood, who is a restricted free agent this summer. Notably, the Jazz held onto Derrick Favors and Alec Burks, who were both the subject of trade rumors.
While Crowder has seen his numbers take a hit this season, he was a valuable piece of two playoff teams with the Boston Celtics. During the offseason, Jazz fans held out hope the team might get Crowder if departing free agent Gordon Hayward arranged a sign-and-trade with Boston, but the deal never materialized. Crowder has one of the most cost-friendly contracts in the league at $7.5 million for two more seasons.
Lindsey said based on Crowder’s body of work, the Jazz believe he’ll work well in coach Quin Snyder’s system — although he’ll need to produce more offensively than he has elsewhere.
“Jae is someone that we’ve long admired,” Lindsey said. “He’s really versatile defensively. Can play really two through four. His physicality, with his build, is quite obvious. With the systems that he’s played in with Dallas, Boston and Cleveland, we think we’ve seen enough that we think he can mesh well.”
Hood’s career in Utah ends after 227 games in four seasons, during which he averaged 13.1 points per game. It was a tenure with distinct peaks and valleys.
The 23rd overall pick in the 2014 draft out of Duke, Hood seemed poised to become a longtime starter in the backcourt after surge in his sophomore season. But his third season brought a slump, hampered as well by injuries. He played a reserve role in the playoffs, ceding his starting spot to Joe Ingles.
After Gordon Hayward left in free agency this offseason, all signs pointed to Hood emerging as Utah’s go-to scorer. But Hood struggled to stay healthy, missing 15 of Utah’s first 54 games. While he still reached a career-high scoring average, Hood was again eclipsed for a starting role — this time by star rookie Donovan Mitchell.
While Hood’s tenure in Utah was sometimes rocky, his agent, Travis King, told the Tribune that Hood was still grateful for his time there.
“Rodney loved his time in Utah. He became a man there. He had his first child there. He played for a great organization,” King said. “Unfortunately in this business, nothing stays the same. The good thing is he’s going to a championship organization with the best player in the world. And someone he’s long respected and looked up to.”
Lindsey also had kind words for Hood, whom he called “a successful pick and a successful player” for the Jazz. Lindsey added that he was happy the Jazz could put Hood on a contender and give him a chance to succeed in Cleveland alongside superstar LeBron James.
When Lindsey met Hood in person Thursday to discuss the trade, the Jazz GM told the 25-year-old that he hoped he would hit a game-winning shot in a playoff game this spring.
“He’s part of the Jazz family: We love him. I told him I loved him today, he told me he loved me back,” Lindsey said. “We’re Rodney Hood fans, Rodney Hood should be celebrated. We look forward to tracking his progress.”
Johnson was something of a coup for the Jazz when they signed him as a free agent in the 2016 offseason. The seven-time All Star helped bolster Utah’s young core during the 2016-17 season and notably helped win games during the Jazz’s playoff series against the Clippers last spring. But he had health issues to start the 2017-18 season, and struggled to make the same impact he did in his first season.
Lindsey said the Jazz’s intention was to give Johnson the chance to hunt for a title on a contender — early suitors have been reported to be Golden State or Boston. But Lindsey said Johnson’s exit meeting with the Jazz also had a positive tone.
“Joe Johnson chose us, chose Quin, chose Rudy [Gobert], our style of play, our market,” Lindsey said. “He’s really become a folk hero around here. … In our mind, it was a successful relationship.”
Lindsey said he looked forward to seeing the Jazz continue to improve. He said in Utah’s current seven-game winning streak, Favors (who will be a free agent this summer) looked comfortable playing alongside Gobert. Lindsey thinks the Jazz have improved on defense, have shared the ball better and communicated better on the recent stretch. While he didn’t say he expects this group to make the playoffs this season, he’s liked what he’s seen of late.
“I don’t pretend to know what’s going to happen relative to the playoffs or not,” he said. As long as we’re progressing, we’re happy, the Millers are happy and hopefully our fans are happy as well.”
