Jared Dudley was not surprised to see his former teammate D'Angelo Russell bolt for the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade proposition, knowing that he'll get the full max for his services. The now-Los Angeles Lakers forward shared his lone season with the Brooklyn Nets close to the young point man, keenly aware of how badly he wanted that money.

“D’Angelo wanted to get the max. So I’m not surprised. He would’ve gone to, you know, Saudi Arabia, if he could have gotten the max there,” said Dudley, according to Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. “I’m not surprised he took that. Now, would he have took a little bit less to go to a better situation or a situation he might have preferred? Possibly. That’s something that he could tell you. We talked throughout the free agency and he’ll tell you. We gave him advice, gave him different stuff and there’s no secret about it. You wanted the max and so if it was going to be them, it was going to be Brooklyn, it’s going to be the Lakers, Indiana. You know, that’s what you searched for and I’m glad he got it.”

Russell's max-contract hunting was no secret, saying he felt he deserved the money even dating back to the beginning of last season.

The lefty saw other players like his close friends Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker both ink max extensions and he was determined not to be left behind. A four-year, $117 million sum was enough to warrant his services in a sign-and-trade scenario that sent Durant to the Nets and consequently started the teardown of the veteran roster the Warriors had managed to carry on for the past five seasons.