Suns sign Jared Dudley to 3-year, $30M deal

Jared Dudley is returning to the desert.

The free-agent forward agreed to a three-year, $30-million deal with the Phoenix Suns.

Dudley spent parts of five seasons in Phoenix between 2008 and 2013, accounting for the bulk of his NBA career. It's also been his most successful stop to date. In 356 games with the Suns, he averaged 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range.

He's evidently pretty excited to be returning.

Even since departing the site of his most productive basketball, Dudley has been among the game's best role players, particularly the past two years with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards, respectively. His most valuable skill remains his 3-point shooting, but he's grown into a savvy, versatile combo forward capable of guarding three positions, managing switches, and making offensive reads on the fly.

With Washington this past season, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, with a .478/.420/.735 shooting line. The Wizards were 3.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.