The Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers are taking care of business ahead of the trade deadline. According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the two teams have agreed upon a trade that will send Rodney Hood to the Trail Blazers, while Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin and two second-round picks head to the Cavaliers.
Portland has agreed to a deal to acquire Cleveland forward Rodney Hood for guards Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin and two future second-round picks, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 3, 2019
It's little surprise to see Hood on the move, as the Cavaliers have been eager to move any and all veterans they can. While they started out the season with hopes of still competing for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference even without LeBron James, those plans quickly faded.
Kevin Love got hurt, Ty Lue got fired, J.R. Smith was put on leave and they went into full tank mode. Earlier in the season, they moved George Hill to the Milwaukee Bucks, and now they've sent Hood out as well. It won't be surprising if this isn't the last deal the Cavs make before Thursday's deadline, as they try to acquire picks and young players.
For the Trail Blazers, who will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Heat (10:30 p.m. ET -- Watch on FuboTV with NBA League Pass add-on), this is a clear attempt to make an upgrade on their wing depth ahead of the postseason. Hood struggled after being traded to the Cavaliers last season, but he's been solid so far in this campaign, averaging 12.2 points and shooting over 36 percent on 3s. He's not going to singlehandedly turn Portland into a title contender, but he's better than Stauskas.
