Poll: Should The Suns Trade Jared Dudley?
The All-Star game is in progress and if you take a look at the Western Conference team, you’ll notice that the Suns are not among the teams represented. Phoenix is 17-36 and their splash page of their website invites fans to come and get acquainted with the Suns players, which is a great idea in October, but says quite a bit about the state of the team in February. There are bright spots for the Suns, however, and Jared Dudley is among them.
Dudley’s contract is a solid value as he’ll earn $4.25MM per season through 2014/15 with a player option for the same amount in the following year. His game may be unspectacular, but he brings hard-nosed play and quality outside shooting at a reasonable price, making him an attractive bench piece for several teams. The Knicks, Jazz, and Grizzlies are all said to have varying degrees of interest and it makes perfect sense for the rebuilding Suns to listen on offers.
However, as a rebuilding team, its not always easy to find quality players that, you know, actually want to be there. While many players in Dudley’s position would probably be pushing hard for a mid-season trade, the forward said this weekend that he wants to help turn things around in Phoenix.
“I don’t care what anyone tells you. If you’re on a team that’s losing the way we are, people should be frustrated, annoyed, but still upbeat at practice to want to get better…I am frustrated that we’re losing. I’m tired of seeing the same mistakes. But I’m willing to put the work in to make those mistakes be very limited, if not at all,” said the 27-year-old.
As a quality, reasonably-compensated complementary piece, Dudley holds a good amount of trade value. At the same time, he’s exactly the kind of player (and contract) that a rebuilding club would probably like to keep around. Should the Suns trade him this week?
Should The Suns Move Dudley?
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Yes 69% (595)
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No 31% (268)
Total votes: 863
Week In Review: 2/11/13 – 2/17/13
If you're not caught up on everything going on in the NBA as we approach the trade deadline, here's your crash course..
- The Bucks, Nets, Celtics, 76ers, and Wizards are among the many involved in talks for Hawks forward Josh Smith. The Suns, however, aren't in on the high flyer.
- The Nuggets have opportunities, but don't expect them to do much.
- There's mutual interest between the Clippers and Jazz in a deal that would send Eric Bledsoe to Utah and power forward Paul Millsap to L.A. However, some sources say that the Clippers will stand pat before the deadline and Gary Sacks says the team is not actively shopping DeAndre Jordan, Bledsoe, or anyone else.
- Meanwhile, the Clips have also talked with the Celtics about Kevin Garnett. KG might not be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told Dwight Howard he's staying put in wake of rumors that the club was discussing a deal with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo. It doesn't appear that the DH-Rondo deal is a reality.
- The Bobcats are anxious to move Ben Gordon and are showing heavy interest in Andrea Bargnani.
- Mired by scandal, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter was shown the door. The vote to oust Hunter was 24-0, with six player representatives apparently absent from the meeting.
- Brandon Jennings is said to be frustrated with the Bucks but the guard denied the story.
- It doesn't look like the rumored Bargnani-Carlos Boozer swap will go down.
- The Knicks are open to trading Iman Shumpert and have expressed interest in Luke Ridnour.
- The Wizards have made Jordan Crawford available.
- The Suns have shown interest in Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward.
- The Heat aren't likely to make a move.
- The Rockets will extend GM Daryl Morey, who isn't expecting a busy week.
- The Nets may or may not be interested in J.J. Hickson.
- The Knicks are considering a pair of free agent bigs.
- Greg Oden is leaning towards leaning towards the Cavs.
- The Spurs offered DeJuan Blair to the Pistons and discussed a deal involving him with the Raptors, but nothing has come of those talks yet.
- Another tough break for the Celtics after they lost Leandro Barbosa for the season.
- Anderson Varejao wants to stay in Cleveland.
- The Magic told J.J. Redick that they're not shopping him, but that doesn't mean he's staying put.
Hoops Links: Raptors, Celtics, All-Star Weekend
The 2013 NBA All-Star game gets underway in just a little bit, but the premier event of the weekend went down last night. No, not the event where Jeff Teague chucked basketballs through garbage cans or where Brook Lopez had a shootaround with WNBA players. I'm talking, of course, about the Slam Dunk contest, where some of the most iconic moments in the sports' recent history have been made.
Last night's throwdown, however, lacked the punch and high drama that we have seen in most years. James White had an entire Flight Crew to back him up on his attempt at a two-handed foul line dunk, but like many before him, was about a step too close to the basket. Terrence Ross' behind-the-back maneuver was pretty sweet, if not original, but required what seemed like ten missed attempts before being completed. (For what it's worth, I thought Jeremy Evans' dunk over his own painting stole the show.)
Every year, there's a lot of talk about how to fix the slam dunk contest. Some people call for the game's biggest stars to enter, but that ultimately wouldn't up the ante for anyone except the most casual of fans. In 2002, the league attempted to shake things up by introducing the dunk wheel (if you're in the mood to cringe, you can check out the YouTube video here). So what's the solution? Perhaps the best answer is to accept that not every slam dunk contest will be worthy of texting all of your friends or telling your children about and realizing that some years will be stronger than others. Oh, and lose Nick Cannon. That would probably help too.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Singh Sports News looks at Bryan Colangelo's gutsiest moves.
- Bleed Green updates us on the state of the Celtics at the break.
- Forum Blue and Gold gives us a retrospective on the Lakers and All-Star Saturday.
- Blog A Bull wishes a happy 50th birthday to Michael Jordan.
- Buckets Over Broadway grades the Knicks.
- The Basketball Post has taken notice of the Spurs' improved defensive play.
- Hoops Addict asks if the C's should trade their vets.
- Hardwood Paroxysm profiles Brook Lopez.
- Red94 wants to know the real James Harden.
- Always Miller Time wonders if the All-Star game should be held the same city each year.
- The Sixer Sense has some fun with the trade machine.
- Hardwood Houdini wonders if Jeff Green could save Boston's season.
- Bucksketball is frustrated with Milwaukee's inconsistency.
- The Brooklyn Game hands out their report card for the Nets.
- Utah Sports Net ranks the top 30 one-guard in the Association.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Jared Dudley Wants To Stay With Suns
Phoenix forward Jared Dudley has seen his name come up in connection with several teams as the trade deadline approaches and it would make sense for the lottery-bound club to explore a deal. However, Dudley told Jim Coughenour and Kris Habbas of SB Nation that if he had his way, he says he'd stay with the 17-36 Suns.
If push comes to shove, the 27-year-old says that he'd rather go to a contender than another losing ballclub. But, in Dudley's mind, staying put after the trade deadline would be the best outcome possible.
"It's easy to be in a good mood when you're winning," he said. "When you're losing, you need to stay in the gym, stay on guys. You never want to leave. I'll be the first one to tell you that if I had to leave, I don't want to go to a team that's bad…Phoenix, city-wise, is one of the top five destinations to go to, so why not just stay here and just get better?"
Dudley has averaged 11.5 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 29.3 minutes per contest this season. Last week, Chuck Myron examined the Boston College product as a trade candidate. The Knicks and Jazz are among the teams that have been linked to Dudley.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/11/13 – 2/17/13
Here's a look at the stellar original work produced this week by the Hoops Rumors staff..
- Chuck Myron looked at the teams close to the tax line.
- With the deadline approaching, be sure to review our Trade Candidate series.
- We brought you the (tentative) 2013 NBA Draft order.
- If you missed this week's chat with Luke Adams, you can check out the transcript here.
- Luke updated us on this year's 10-day contracts.
- Most Hoops Rumors readers that weighed in on Alex Lee's poll don't think that Brandon Jennings wants to stay with the Bucks.
- The Nets have been linked to several big names and readers are divided on what they might do before the deadline.
- Jared Dudley may not be a game changer but Chuck explained why he is a trade candidate.
Leandro Barbosa Out For Season
TUESDAY, 2:55pm: Multiple reporters, including ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link), have confirmed that Barbosa will in fact miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
MONDAY, 9:34pm: After suffering a knee injury in the waning minutes of the third quarter, Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa had to be helped off of the court and was ruled out for the remainder of tonight's game against the Bobcats. Now, Kevin Garnett says that the team was informed that Barbosa will be out for the remainder of the year, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Losing Barbosa for the rest of the year would be a devastating blow to the C's as he was called upon to fill the void in the backcourt after Rajon Rondo's season ending injury. Boston still has Avery Bradley to pitch in at one-guard, but they will almost certainly look for additional help now that they are paper thin at the position.
Lakers Aren’t Eyeing Free Agent Bigs
The Lakers aren't eyeing any free agent frontcourt players right now, a source tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). General Manager Mitch Kupchak & Co. want to see how much Dwight Howard is able to give them with his shoulder injury before they invest in any outside help.
Kenyon Martin, Greg Oden, and Louis Amundson are among the more prominent free agent big men out there. The Lakers have been linked to the 35-year-old for several months as they have battled injuries.
K-Mart spent last season with the Staples Center's other tenants, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 22.4 minutes. Between the Lakers' reluctance to sign an available big man and Rasheed Wallace's improving health in New York, Martin may not find employment anytime soon.
Spurs Talked Blair Trade With Raptors, Pistons
The Spurs offered forward DeJuan Blair to the Pistons and discussed a deal involving him with the Raptors, but nothing has come of those talks so far, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Broussard hears that the Celtics, Heat, and Trail Blazers are among the teams that could have interest in the 23-year-old.
Blair has been considered a trade candidate for quite some time and there has been friction between him and the club ever since he was effectively 86'd from the rotation in the 2012 postseason. The Pitt product is seeing less playing time than ever this season, averaging 13.9 minutes per contest versus 20.2 per game over the previous three years in San Antonio.
Recently, it was reported that the Warriors also have interest in acquiring Blair.
Magic Told Redick They Are Not Shopping Him
Magic guard J.J. Redick says that he has been told that the Magic “are not actively trying to move” him, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Of course, a number of teams are inquiring on the shooting guard and Orlando is certainly listening to offers as the deadline approaches.
There are a number of suitors for Redick including the Celtics, Bucks, Wolves, Pacers, Knicks, and Bulls. With the Magic headed for the lottery this season, it makes sense that Orlando would consider trades for him. The 28-year-old is earning $6MM in the final year of his contract.
Orlando is reportedly looking for a package of expiring contracts and a future first-round pick. A team like the Bucks could conceivably put together an appealing offer with Beno Udrih's expiring contract, a pick, and a young talent like Tobias Harris.
Nets Notes: Williams, Carlesimo, Trades
Nets General Manager Billy King took some time to discuss Deron Williams and other hot button issues surrounding the club. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has the goods, with all links going to Twitter..
- King said that coach P.J. Carlesimo's interim status will be evaluated "later", Bondy tweets. The Nets appointed Carlesimo as their interim head coach and it has been said by many that he will be given every opportunity to finish out the 2012/13 season. With that said, Brooklyn still has Phil Jackson as their "dream hire".
- While being more than a little ambiguous, King said that the club will not make a trade "just to make a trade" (Twitter link). Trade speculation has been picking up in Brooklyn with the latest news indicating that they are making a hard push for the Hawks' Josh Smith and prioritizing him over Bobcats guard Ben Gordon.
- Williams will be sidelined until after the All-Star break with inflammation in his ankles but King insists that weight isn't an issue for the guard as he weights just one pound more than when he was first acquired from the Jazz (Twitter link). Despite his less-than-stellar play for the Nets, the GM believes that Williams can get back to being the best one-guard in the Association (via Twitter).