Free agent forward Jared Dudley has been making the Twitter rounds lately, being very candid about the fun he's having with free agency. He recently showed his intrigue with Houston when he reacted to the tweet announcing new Rockets head coach, Mike D'Antoni.
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) May 26, 2016Although Dudley didn't play for D'Antoni's Phoenix teams, he did play for Alvin Gentry's Suns after Terry Porter failed to slow the Suns' offense down to a "traditional" style of play. When Gentry came aboard, he vowed to return to the fast-paced offense that D'Antoni had so much success with.
Under Gentry, Jared Dudley had his highest scoring output of his career, at 12.7 points per game. More importantly, Dudley shot .383 on three point field goal attempts that season. While that's impressive, Dudley shot a remarkable .458 from beyond the arc in 2009-10 on 262 attempts. Dudley also had a productive season with the Washington Wizards in 2015-16, where he shot .420 from three. He has been above .360 from three every year of his career except his rookie year.
Directly pertaining to the Rockets, having a classic "3 and D" guy is pivotal. But Dudley is more than that; Dudley is a versatile player who has a high basketball IQ. Capable of playing the 3 or stretch 4, Dudley can space the floor while guarding the other team's best player.
But why should Jared Dudley want to sign a one year deal with Houston?
First, coach Mike D'Antoni is known as getting the most out of players offensively. Players consistently exceed expectations under him. Dudley could potentially have one of the best years of his career, which is the next reason he should sign a one year deal.
If Jared Dudley is able to perform at a high level, he would be set up to sign an even bigger deal after the salary cap increases after next season. While he won't attract Kevin Durant money, Dudley could easily bring in $30 million or more on a three year deal and under the new cap, that isn't a ridiculous amount.
The small forward market in 2017 is also a pretty weak class when you consider Durant and LeBron are near locks to return to their respective teams. Other names include Andre Iguodala and Rudy Gay, but the market is quite thin past that.
Jared Dudley has the chance to use next season as an audition for the rest of the league, or even return to the Rockets, and receive a huge payday. Under Mike D'Antoni's offense, Dudley could outperform other potential mid-tier forwards and set himself up for a long-term deal.
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