Jared Dudley, who helped the Brooklyn Nets reach the postseason a year ago, says he wanted to return to Brooklyn to play with Kevin Durant.
Last season, Jared Dudley played a key role in mentoring a young Brooklyn Nets squad en route to the franchise’s first playoffs berth since 2015.
Dudley left to join the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason but admitted to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News his desire was to return to Brooklyn.
“I did want to go back (to the Nets). I did early on.” Dudley told Bondy. “Because before I had the Lakers, they were stalling. Obviously they had to do KD and Kyrie, and that’s fine. But then there were two days where I didn’t really hear anything from them and they did eventually offer.”
Dudley went on to say a big reason he wanted to return to Brooklyn was to play with Kevin Durant.
“At that time, I also wanted to a two-year deal to go back because I wanted to play with Durant. So with all things equal, you see how this weather is out here.”
After the Nets decided to allow Dudley to walk, he joined a different group of superstars with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles by signing a one-year 2.5 million dollar deal.
While Dudley hoped to return to the Big Apple, he did say he’s happy with how the offseason worked out.
“For me, it’s been perfect because when Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) was out I played a little bit early. I know my role. I know I’m going to play 50 games a year. I started one time. For me, just get to the playoffs and give ourselves a chance is (what I care about).”
The Lakers currently have the best record in the Western Conference at 30-7 while the Nets are 16-20 and have lost seven straight games.
