The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly signed Jared Dudley to a one-year deal. He will provide the team with a strong veteran presence.
As the Los Angeles Lakers wait to hear about Kawhi Leonard’s decision, they have gone ahead and started to add some pieces to round out their roster.
While the rest of the league started free agency on Sunday with a bang, the Lakers were somewhat quiet. It became clear that the Lakers were putting all their eggs into the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, and a lot of talented free agents signed elsewhere.
The Lakers figure to have a very good chance of landing Leonard, but if they don’t, they have missed out on a lot of the players that were rumored to be targeted by the Lakers to provide depth.
However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have added a strong veteran in Jared Dudley.
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
While Dudley isn’t the big fish that the Lakers are waiting to hear on, he should provide some quality depth. In his one and only season with the Nets last year, Dudley was a key veteran on a surprise Nets team that reached the playoffs.
The stats of Dudley certainly won’t jump off the page at you, but he brings a lot of the intangibles that help a team win. Dudley was also an effective three-point shooter as a power forward last season. Dudley shot it at just over 35 percent from beyond the arc last season, which will be a welcomed sight for the Lakers.
Having a veteran like Dudley will be very good for a young player like Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma is a willing learner, and Dudley certainly has a lot of experience in this league.
In the playoffs last season, Dudley really provided a nice spark for the Nets. His fire and passion helped the Nets hang around with the Philadelphia 76ers. Most notably was Dudley getting in the head of Ben Simmons a bit which certainly pleased Nets fans in Brooklyn.
While Dudley likely won’t have a huge role on the Lakers, he will always be ready if his number is called. Helping some of the younger players on the bench is very valuable, as a lot can be learned in-game. Overall, a really strong signing by the Lakers.