Clippers trade Jared Dudley to Bucks
The Los Angeles Clippers sent veteran small forward Jared Dudley and a protected 2017 first round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday.
In return, the Clippers got veteran shooting guard Carlos Delfino, center Miroslav Raduljica and a 2015 second-round pick.
A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed it to USA TODAY Sports, but spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not yet been announced.
It was no secret that Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers wasn't a huge fan of Dudley's game, so it comes as no surprise that he opted to cut ties with his contract that pays him $4.2 million this season and another $4.2 million next season if he declines to opt out next summer.
And while it comes as a surprise that the Clippers would give up a first-round pick in such a deal, the reality is that their current status within the league – three consecutive seasons winning at least 60% of their games – likely means it's a late first-rounder considering Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will still be under contract in 2017. The 2015 second-rounder given to the Clippers was originally theirs.
Delfino missed all of last season with a foot injury, but he could certainly help the Clippers if he's healthy. The 31-year-old averaged 10.6 points and shot 37.5% from three-point range in his last season, the 2012-13 campaign with the Houston Rockets. The 26-year-old Raduljica played 48 games last season as a backup big man, averaging 9.7 minutes, 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Yet according to a person with knowledge of the Clippers' situation, it's likely that Delfino - who is owed $3.25 million next season and has a team option for the 2015-16 campaign - will be waived using what's deemed the "stretch provision." The provision allows the payment of a player's contract (and the related salary cap hit) to be stretched out over several years, and would allow the Clippers to make another addition via free agency (or perhaps even two). Because the Clippers used their non-taxpayer midlevel exception on center Spencer Hawes in July, they are operating with a hard salary cap and have less than a million dollars remaining to work with because of it. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the moves had not yet been made.
One strong free agent possibility is 27-year-old shooting guard Chris Douglas Roberts, though he can't sign until the aforementioned moves are made. Roberts averaged 6.9 points and 20.7 minutes for the Charlotte Hornets last season in 49 games. Another possibility is big man Ekpe Udoh, the 27-year-old who visited with the Clippers on Tuesday. Udoh, who was taken sixth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2010 draft, spent the last three seasons coming off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks. Raduljica is also likely to be waived by the Clippers, and his possible buyout (he's owed $1.5 million) could also create more salary cap space.
Dudley, meanwhile, had his least productive season since the 2008-09 campaign that he split in Charlotte and Phoenix. After averaging double-digit scoring for three consecutive seasons, he averaged just 6.9 points while seeing his least amount of playing time since that 2008-09 campaign (23.4 minutes per game).
Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade.