The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need to start building out a roster regardless of whether they are able to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency. So as the entire basketball world sits and waits to see what the reigning NBA Finals MVP is going to do, Los Angeles decided to make their latest addition.
Jared Dudley, who most recently suited up for the Brooklyn Nets, will head to the Lakers on a one-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Free agent Jared Dudley has agreed to a one-year, $2.6M deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2019
Dudley explained to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype about his decision to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis, citing things like the opportunity to play for a championship and the fact that he is from California.
Jared Dudley on joining Lakers: "This is something I've been contemplating. I'd be getting a chance to compete for a championship, which is something I haven't had since the Steve Nash [Suns] days. I just think that being home and with that Laker brand, what's better than that?"
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 2, 2019
Beyond the fact that he’s a renowned locker room presence, Dudley makes a lot of sense for the Lakers. He’s a guy who will always play hard and make smart decision, plus one of his best assets on the floor is his shooting, something the Lakers desperately need. While he only connected on 35.1 percent of his triples with the Nets last season, he’s a career 39.2 percent shooter from deep.
The Lakers need to get going on putting together a basketball team at some point. Perhaps Leonard will join it, but until then, it’s good to have a guy like Dudley on board.
