The Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with locker room favorite Jared Dudley this past week. While the conclusion of his time in LA was one filled with gratitude and well-wishes, Duds made sure to have the last say on his own exit.
Jared Dudley spoke out to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke on his thoughts over leaving the Lakers, and his true desire to come back, which turned out to be one-sided.
Via LA Times:
“No one owed me anything, Rob and Kurt were honest and upfront, nothing but respect and gratitude to them and Jeanie [Buss], I will be forever thankful for the opportunity they gave me,” Dudley said. “But I did want to come back. I did think I could help the team, especially having so many new players, but I understand they wanted to get younger.”
In typical Jared Dudley fashion, the outspoken veteran revealed how things shook out between him and the Lakers brass on his way out. Safe to say he got a final word in.
“I talked to Rob and Kurt, I thanked them, but I told them, you’re valuing youth more than a locker room presence guy,” Dudley said. “I said, ‘I respect you for doing that, but I think you’re wrong,’”
There are always two sides to a coin. With the Lakers sporting one of the oldest rosters in NBA history, Jared Dudley wants LA to double down with veteran leadership in their hardline pursuit for their second title in three years. But you could also argue that young legs are necessary with an aging set of vets to provide a little bit of balance.
To Jared Dudley's dismay, Rob Pelinka obviously went with the latter. But perhaps this could be a blessing in disguise for Dudley as he heads onto his next challenge as an assistant to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, a team that could definitely use his veteran voice.
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