Pacific Notes: Suns, Young, Lakers, Clippers

The Suns made a modest splash in the free agent pool earlier this week, agreeing to terms on a three-year, $30MM contract with veteran sharpshooter Jared Dudley. However, that deal with Dudley may be both the beginning and end of Phoenix’s summer spending spree, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. As Coro explains, the Suns are focused on developing a young core of players, rather than courting big-name free agents. The team still may explore the market for a wing player with some size, and could re-sign Ronnie Price, but there will likely be no more major expenditures.

Here’s more from around the Pacific division:

  • While Nick Young still has two years remaining on his contract with the Lakers, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s traded, or even waived, before training camp gets underway, says Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times.
  • Hours before word broke that Jamal Crawford had reached a deal to re-sign with the Clippers, a report indicated that the veteran guard received a “significant” offer from the Sixers. However, a league source denied to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the 76ers made such an offer, prompting Pompey to wonder if Crawford’s camp used Philadelphia for leverage in an effort to get the Clippers to improve their offer.
  • Austin Rivers, another Clippers guard who struck a deal with the team this weekend, described the negotiating process as “weird” and “stressful,” as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com details. Rivers went through the rare experience of negotiating a deal with his father, Clippers president of basketball operations Doc Rivers. The younger Rivers also acknowledged that if Kevin Durant had wanted to join the Clippers, Rivers would be heading elsewhere at this point.
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