From contender to rebuilder, Jared Dudley was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Milwaukee Bucks for a conditional first-round pick and players Carlos Delfino and Miroslav Radulijca, who were waived this week. Dudley’s only season with the Clippers was plagued by injuries. As a result he never got comfortable, shooting just 36 percent from three, his lowest rate since 2008.
Talking with media, it sounded like Dudley was a little resentful of his time in LA. From the Associated Press:
"“It was probably the most injury-plagued season I’ve had,” Dudley said Tuesday at the Bucks’ training facility. “I was trying to sacrifice myself. I told Coach (Doc) Rivers that I couldn’t go, but we had so many injuries he needed me to fight through it.”"
Despite the Bucks coming off an NBA-worst 15-67 season, Dudley appears to be happy with his new team. He figures to get plenty of playing time and will have a chance to mentor young players like Larry Sanders, Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker.
"“Going from a contender to a team that’s rebuilding, for me, that really doesn’t matter,” Dudley said. “I’ve played in all kinds of situations. As a professional, you have to come in with the right mindset and play the game the right way. This team has a lot going for it with Jabari coming in here. That’s a huge upside.”"
It might be hard to think of the Bucks as a team on the rise, but remember that this is a squad that went 38-44 the year before and enjoyed the breakout season of Sanders. Sanders has regressed since then, but the team can hope for a bounce back year and the continued development of Antetokounmpo under new head coach Jason Kidd.
The 29-year-old Dudley appeared in 74 games last season, starting 43, and averaged 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.