The Los Angeles Lakers have been patient in free agency. They are waiting things out, along with the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, about where Kawhi Leonard is going to be playing basketball next.
As a result of waiting on Leonard, the Lakers have been quiet in free agency. They wanted to preserve their cap space for him, so they haven’t been very active thus far. Troy Daniels was their first announced signing, and now we have another one.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers have agreed to a one-year deal with Jared Dudley. The deal was announced by Mark Bartelstein, Dudley’s agent, as a veteran minimum deal worth $2.6 million.
The deal was shared on Wojnarowski’s Twitter account.
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 has been well traveled during his NBA career. He was selected No. 22 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Lakers will be the seventh organization that Dudley suits up for. It will the second time in Los Angeles, as Dudley played with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2013-14 season.
In 12 seasons, Dudley has averaged 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Despite those pedestrian numbers, this is a solid signing for Los Angeles.
Even if Leonard decides against joining the Lakers, the front office will need to fill out the roster with players on veteran minimum deals, such as Dudley. Whether or not Leonard is a part of that roster, Dudley is a good signing and here are three reasons why.