Free-agent forward Jared Dudley[1] has agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers[2], agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN.
The Lakers are starting the process of fortifying a depleted roster beyond LeBron James[3], Anthony Davis[4] and Kyle Kuzma[5] with veteran players on minimum contracts, and Dudley brings a versatile and savvy game to the Lakers.
Kuzma took to Twitter on Tuesday night to welcome Dudley, who changed his avatar to a photoshopped image of himself along with James and Davis in Lakers uniforms.
Dudley is coming off a productive season with the Brooklyn Nets[8], in which he averaged five points in 20 minutes per game. He played the part of the irritant to the Philadelphia 76ers[9] in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Both Brooklyn and the Detroit Pistons[10] were interested in signing Dudley, but he was determined to get a chance to play for the Lakers. Dudley is a native of San Diego.
The Lakers are still pursuing free agent Kawhi Leonard[11] with their available salary-cap space.
