Jared Dudley Reportedly to Sign with Suns: Latest Contract Details and Reaction
Jared Dudley's journeyman NBA career is taking a stop in a familiar place. The free-agent forward agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Phoenix Suns on Friday, per AZCentral.com's Paul Coro.
The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the deal.
Dudley, who turns 31 on July 10, spent last season with the Washington Wizards. He averaged 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game after coming over during an offseason trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Signing with the Suns ensures that Dudley won't be playing with his fifth different team in as many years. He played with Phoenix from 2008-2013 while recording stints with the Los Angeles Clippers after beginning his career with the Charlotte Hornets.
While Dudley's bounced around the league, he always seems to find himself a valuable contributor. He started 41 games last season, knocking down 42 percent of his threes as a floor-spacer for John Wall. Known as a solid locker room guy, Dudley also has a keen awareness of where he stands around the league.
"I’m never anybody’s first or second or third option; I’m your fourth option," Dudley said, per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. "For me, it’s no problem. You know what I can do in this system. When I play, I play the right way.”
As he approached his early 30s, Dudley targeted a team that saw him as a long-term fit. He told Castillo in April he was looking for a three-year contract. Most of his prime was spent playing on a contract most would describe as below market—it averaged a little more than $4 million per season over the last five years—so targeting financial security was understandable.
The NBA is also in the midst of a massive cap boom, with the cap jumping to $94 million from $70 million for the 2016-17 season. This is the perfect time for someone like Dudley to take advantage of teams being flush with space and general managers itching to spend their money.
Dudley is who he is. The 6'7", 225-pounder is a ground-bound, slow-footed dude who is built more like a rec league player than an NBA star who can light you up from beyond the arc on any given night. Defense is never going to be his forte, but Dudley is an intelligent player who can hold the fort down low against 4s in smaller lineups.
Having Dudley on your team isn't going to win you an NBA championship. Having him over a far less reliable role player, though, is something not enough teams have recognized as being valuable. Maybe his second time with the Suns is the charm.
