The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to re-sign veteran forward Jared Dudley to a 1-year, $2.6 million deal, according to a report from ESPN on Monday night.
Dudley, 35, has played 13 seasons in the league. He has appeared in 892 career games, including 286 starts, while averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. “Dudley comes back to the Lakers for his 14th NBA season,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote on his Twitter account.
“He played 45 regular season games and nine in the postseason in LA’s title run. His presence in that locker room carries great value within the organization.”
The Lakers are Dudley’s seventh team. He also has played for the Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. Charlotte drafted him in the first round (No. 22 overall) out of Boston College in 2007.
Meanwhile, longtime NBA centre and Australian star Andrew Bogut announced Tuesday morning from his homeland that he was retiring from all levels of professional basketball.
The 36-year-old Bogut had hopes of ending his career in the Summer Olympics— first in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic pushed the Tokyo Games back one year.
“The decision hasn’t been an easy one, but I think it is the right decision,” Bogut said on his Rogues Bogues podcast. “The decision that I made and where I will be signing for next season is absolutely nowhere. I will be retiring from professional basketball, effective immediately.
“We are in late November now. I would have made this decision earlier if it wasn’t for the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. I was hoping to get to the 2020 Olympics and call it the day after that, as it would have been a great accolade to get a fourth Olympics, but it’s just not meant to be.”
Bogut was the college player of the year at Utah for the 2004-05 season and chosen No. 1 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He played parts of 14 NBA seasons and had career averages of 9.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in 706 games (661 starts) with the Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. He often was hindered by injuries.
Bogut blocked 1,091 shots during his NBA career and led the league in 2010-11 with a 2.6 average.
