Phoenix Suns trade forward Jared Dudley to Brooklyn Nets

The Phoenix Suns have agreed to trade forward Jared Dudley and a 2021 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets, the team officially announced Friday.

In return, Phoenix will receive forward/center Darrell Arthur.

Essentially a salary dump, the Suns get out from Dudley’s $9.5 million contract. They will buy out Arthur, who is owed $7.4 million this season, Wojnarowski tweeted.

The 2021 second-round pick is top-35 protected.

The Suns are now $3.2 million under the cap, a number that will increase after the Arthur buyout, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Phoenix has been working to buy Dudley out for the last two weeks, according to 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.

“The reason that they didn’t buy him out is they were trying to get him to take about $2 (million), $2.5 million less what he could get at the veteran’s minimum with another team,” he said on Doug and Wolf.

Dudley wouldn’t accept the buyout without knowing there was a different team interested, Gambadoro said. He expects the forward to serve as a stretch-four backup to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the versatile 23-year-old Arizona alumnus.

“Based on what I’m hearing now, he will stay there,” Gambadoro said.

Was very likely in Phoenix that Dudley would have been a DNP most nights. In Brooklyn he may get 20 minutes off the bench and a chance to play

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 20, 2018

The Suns intend to fully-guarantee guard Davon Reed’s contract and keep guard Shaquille Harrison, Gambadoro tweeted. Both contracts are worth a little under $1.4 million.

After the trade was reported, Dudley tweeted about his time as with Phoenix.

Always! https://t.co/VOzcBZ06D1

— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) July 20, 2018

Dudley signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Phoenix in 2016, joining as a mentor for a young team that included rookie forwards and lottery picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss.

Dudley’s role took even more of a backseat this summer, as the Suns drafted forward Mikal Bridges to join a crop of young forwards in T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Bender and Chriss. Phoenix added more of a squeeze at forward by agreeing to ink free agent forward Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15 million deal.

Ariza is projected as the starting power forward.

An 11-year veteran, Dudley started seven games for Phoenix in 2016-17, then took a backseat to Chriss for the rest of the year. Dudley shot 45 percent overall, 38 percent from three and averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Last year, Dudley came off toe surgery in the offseason to play in 48 games. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per outing.

In 2008, Dudley’s second NBA season, the forward was traded to the Suns from the Charlotte Bobcats along with Jason Richardson and a second-round pick in exchange for Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary.

Dudley quickly integrated himself as a key bench player for the Suns and eventually developed into a full-time starter by 2011-12, where he averaged a career-best 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Before returning to Phoenix, Dudley played for the Los Angeles Clippers (2013-14), Milwaukee Bucks (2014-15) and Washington Wizards (2015-16).

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