MILWAUKEE -- When the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Jared Dudley in late August, they knew they were adding leadership to a young locker room. The Bucks also were aware of the type of player Dudley has proven to be when healthy.
But whether the veteran forward was going to be healthy was an unknown when Milwaukee sent Carlos Delfino, Miroslav Raduljica and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Dudley and a 2017 protected first-round pick.
Through 31 games, Dudley has not only helped mentor Milwaukee's young core, but he's proven to still be a productive NBA player.
"He's as important on the court as he is off," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Being a guy that's been in the league on successful teams, understanding what it takes to win, the work ethic, the extra work you have to put in, the communication -- I think the guys see that on the floor and off the floor, too."
The Clippers were expecting Dudley to fill an important role on a title contender when they acquired the Boston College product prior to the 2013-14 season. Instead, Dudley's lone season in Los Angeles was a disappointment.
Dudley began suffering from tendonitis in his right knee in August, while patella tendonitis in his left knee developed during the season. There was a point in early December when Dudley told Clippers coach Doc Rivers that he couldn't play. But with the Clippers having numerous players injured at the time, Rivers asked Dudley if he could play despite not being 100 percent.
Once reinforcements returned, Dudley saw his role diminish.
"At one point in time, I didn't know if I'd ever have my health (again)," Dudley said. "Obviously your knees are real big when shooting. I couldn't move. I couldn't guard anybody.
"I was only 29 years old at that time. To not be able to do what I usually do was frustrating, but it all happens for a reason."
Dudley ended up averaging 6.9 points per game while shooting a career-worst 43.8 percent from the field. He found himself out of the rotation during the Clippers' run to the Western Conference Semifinals, averaging 1.3 points over 6.4 minutes in seven playoff games.
The Clippers were looking to clear room on their roster to set up potential offseason moves, which led to Los Angeles throwing in a future first-round pick in order for Milwaukee to take on Dudley's contract -- $4.25 million this season and a player option for the same amount in 2015-16.
"We just had to create roster room," Rivers said. "We actually really wanted to keep him. But he was the one who had the most value. I said all summer that he was going to have a much better year for us, but we needed the space just in case. We really haven't used it yet, but we may at some point.
"Jared can play. We knew that. Last year, he started off injured and then he was injured again. He just really never caught up."
While going from a contender to a team just beginning a rebuilding process may not have been the ideal situation for a veteran player, Dudley embraced his trade to the Bucks and viewed the move as an opportunity to prove he can still play while mentoring a young roster.
"I didn't play well," Dudley said. "If you don't play well and financially you hurt, you have to go. That's what happened.
"I was there all summer rehabbing, so they probably didn't know if I was going to be healthy. To be honest with you, I don't know if I would have been either. I think me getting traded was a blessing in disguise. Getting with these trainers (in Milwaukee) that got me healthy. . . . I don't know if any other training staff would have got me healthy. It might have, it might not have, but I'm glad it did."
Dudley started nine of Milwaukee's first 10 games, but he has been much more productive coming off the bench. After scoring just 3.2 points per game as a starter, Dudley is averaging 8.5 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc in 21 games as a reserve.
After a slow start, Dudley is hitting 42.7 percent of his 3-point attempts, good for 14th in the NBA.
"This year was just about opportunity," Dudley said. "Coach is giving everybody an opportunity to play. We go 10 to 12 deep any given night. For me, it was just about learning my spots. I was starting early on and trying to defensively be more of a leader. Now I'm coming in with the second unit. The ball moves a little bit better with us. We kind of have an understanding of how we play. For me it is finding my spots and hitting jump shots."
Finding veterans who buy into a reduced role isn't easy in the NBA. The Bucks have struggled in that regard of late, especially last season when Gary Neal and Caron Butler ended up wanting little to do with a rebuilding team.
But Dudley has embraced being the veteran mentor to young players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, something that doesn't surprise Rivers.
"If you can put in a guy on your team that has high character, then he's a good fit," Rivers said. "Jared has high character. Especially with a young team, you better have high-character veterans, whether they are playing or not, that aren't going to poison the well. He would never do that."
Dudley is trying to pass on what he learned from veterans like Grant Hill while he was playing in Phoenix.
"I think it is only right," Dudley said. "As a veteran NBA player, I think it should be your duty to pass on knowledge. It is easy here because we have two kids that are 19 and playing at a high level. Even though Jabari is hurt, he'll be back at 20. To give them a little bit and help out is going to be critical for this franchise."
Depending on the direction the Bucks decide to go this season, Dudley could be one of Milwaukee's tradable players. The 29-year-old will only increase his value, be it at the trade deadline or in free agency, if he continues to play and shoot the way he has of late.
"It is big for me," Dudley said. "When you can't run and you can't be in the best shape as possible, you can't really move. For me to be able to move and play at a high level shows the league that last year I was hurt. That's good. But we're only 30 games in. We have 52 more to go."
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