Getty
Lebron James
Although he didn’t score many points or get several rebounds, Jared Dudley has been an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers for the past two seasons. This free season seemed to offer him the opportunity to be able to play one more campaign. This did not end up being the case.
The veteran winger accepted an assistant position with the Dallas Mavericks and appears to have put an end to his career as a player. It’s unclear if the Lakers would have brought him back as a player, but they can’t blame Dudley for securing his new career. With his departure, there will be a leadership gap within the team.
Lebron James leads the team a lot, but he was devastated by Dudley’s departure from Los Angeles. The team star reacted to the news with a tweet unfit for the workplace.
Dudley and LeBron clearly created a strong union during their time together with the Lakers. The two will face each other on several occasions, but they will do so as rivals and not comp mates.
Dudley will join Jason Kidd in Dallas but will always be part of Lakers history even though he was not on the team for a long time. He sent a message to the Lakers, to LeBron, and Anthony Davis in addition to team owner Jeanie Buss after the news broke.
He mentioned that he wouldn’t have a ring if it weren’t for Davis and LeBron. This is true as Dudley only won an NBA title in his 14-year career. Although he will not receive much credit for the last Lakers title, he had a lot to do this season.
Follow the Lakers’ Facebook page Heavy i Right Now to know the latest news, rumors and content!
Lakers need to have a lot of leadership to fill that gap
Dudley was a valuable leader for the Lakers and will be surprised by his presence. However, the Lakers will be fine. The team has a lot of veterans and they have a great leader like LeBron.
Players like Russell Westbrook will also be a great leader in Los Angeles but will not be able to offer what Dudley could. Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard have been in the NBA for several years and probably won’t play many minutes. They will help replace what was there with Dudley. The Lakers also have open contingents. With Dudley leaving, they will be looking for another veteran presence who doesn’t need to play many minutes.
That said, the Lakers are the oldest team in the league and will not need veteran leadership. A player like Isaiah Thomas or Darren Collison can be signings who can appeal at this stage of the free season. There is no shortage of players who would like to be able to play in Los Angeles and compete for a title next season.
Follow Right Now on Instagram
READ MORE: Former Real Madrid star is America’s new DT: Who replaces
to Miguel Herrera?