Jared Dudley signed a three-year deal worth $30 million with the Phoenix Suns this offseason, but the 31-year-old sharpshooter tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he was interested in the Boston Celtics:
Jared Dudley has gone back to Phoenix on a three-year, $30 million deal, but the 31-year-old BC product told us he was hoping for a call from the C’s when he was a free agent this summer.
“Boston never contacted me, but I made it known I was interested in them,” said Dudley, who shot 42 percent on 3-pointers for Washington last season.
He believed he fit a need, but understood the club wants to give minutes to rookie Jaylen Brown.
Dudley is right that he would have filled a hole in Boston: Only the Lakers and Grizzlies shot worse than the Celtics’ mark of 33.5% from three-point range last season. Dudley, a career 39.9% three-point shooter, would have been of help to the Celtics. However, it also makes sense that the Celtics would want rookie Jaylen Brown to get his minutes. The no. 3 overall draft pick out of the University of California is immensely talented. As it stands though, the Celtics didn’t do too much to improve their perimeter shooting this offseason, which is something that could come back to bite them.
