3 Free agent role players OKC Thunder should consider to fill roster gaps

Rodney Hood

Even though he had a relatively poor showing in the playoffs last year, Rodney Hood still has the tools to be one of the better wing scorers in the NBA. He’s averaged 13 points per game over the course of his career, raising his output to 16.8 before being moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline. More impressively, he shot 42.4 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three, and 87.6 percent  from the free throw line during that stretch and looked like one of the best young wings in the league.

And look, the OKC Thunder desperately need to add that kind of upside.

They won’t have any money to spend for the next few years, and aside from surprising development from one of the young guys–namely Terrance Ferguson or Jerami Grant–there isn’t much room for internal growth. Adding someone like Hood has the potential to really raise the ceiling of the team down the road.

And yes, he was terrible in the playoffs last year–and for an unsettling portion of his stint in Cleveland–but he still has the potential to have games like this, where he showcases just about every skill in the book:

Now, the mechanics of any potential deal would be wonky. He’s a restricted free agent which means Cleveland has the right to match any offer and, as previously mentioned, the Thunder aren’t working with Sacramento-level cap space. But as of right now, I don’t see anyone shelling out huge money for Hood after the second half of last year. And, even though Cleveland extended a $3.4 million qualifying offer to Hood, I don’t see them trying to match many offers for someone who refused to play during the playoffs.

Given all of that, the Thunder would likely be able to sign him using their $5.7 million mid-level exception and waive someone like Kyle Singler to make this deal happen.

Rodney Hood would definitely be a risk for the Thunder, but one that could significantly raise the ceiling of the team.