Phoenix Suns: Complete 2018 offseason grades
The Jared Dudley trade
On July 20, the Suns made a pair of moves to land themselves an upgrade in the frontcourt. The first was trading Jared Dudley to the Brooklyn Nets, along with a 2021 second round pick (protected 31-35), for Darrell Arthur.
Arthur, who was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Nets a week prior, is expected to be bought out, though that hasn’t officially happened yet.
Brooklyn agreed to trade w/ Phoenix to acquire Jared Dudley and 2021 second-round pick for Darrell Arthur, league sources tell ESPN. Arthur ($7.4M) headed for buyout; Dudley ($9.5M) will have that conversation with Nets. Suns save some salary, Nets get a pick protected to No. 35.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 20, 2018
In any case, though Arthur may have helped spread the floor and provided some additional experience and leadership to the locker room, Phoenix needs to make time for Bender to determine his future with the team. A buyout makes the most sense for both parties.
Losing a fan favorite and Suns staple like Dudley stings, but the truth is the 33-year-old stretch-4 is a bit over the hill and wasn’t a consistent part of the rotation anyway, averaging 14.3 minutes per game last year. Now he can help a young Nets team grow, the Suns are off the hook for his $9.5 million expiring deal and more minutes are freed up at power forward.
Considering the addition of Ariza, the fact that Dudley’s passing on of knowledge was limited to the locker room at this stage, and the new frontcourt arrival Phoenix was able to secure, it’s hard to knock this deal for anything other than sentimental reasons.
Grade: C+