AP source: Wizards get Jared Dudley from Bucks for 2nd round pick

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writer

Moving on after learning they'll lose Paul Pierce as a free agent, the Washington Wizards agreed to acquire forward Jared Dudley from the Milwaukee Bucks for a future second-round draft pick.

A person familiar with the negotiations between the Wizards and Bucks described the deal to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity, because it can't become official until July 9, per NBA rules.

Earlier this week, Dudley decided to exercise his player option for a $4.25 million contract with Milwaukee next season, rather than become a free agent. The veteran forward averaged 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds and made 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts in 72 games last season, his first with the Bucks.

Dudley provides the Wizards with a player to help fill the void at the stretch-4 spot, because Pierce opted out of his contract with Washington and agreed to a $10 million, three-year free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dudley, who turns 30 next week, has averaged 8.5 points and 39.6-percent shooting on 3s during his eight-year NBA career, spending time with Charlotte, Phoenix, the Clippers and Milwaukee.

Earlier Thursday, the Bucks agreed with free-agent center Greg Monroe on a $50 million, three-year contract. Dudley became expendable for the Bucks when they got Greivis Vasquez from the Toronto Raptors to give them a veteran shooter off the bench.

Washington can take on Dudley's salary without sending any players back in the deal thanks to a trade exception it picked up as part of a swap that sent Andre Miller to the Sacramento Kings for Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline in February.

The 37-year-old Pierce was particularly terrific in the playoffs for the Wizards, giving the young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal a veteran who was comfortable taking big shots late in big games. Pierce helped the Wizards sweep Toronto in the first round, then delivered a series of clutch shots during their six-game elimination against Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Pierce won Game 3 against the Hawks with a banked-in buzzer-beater, put Washington briefly ahead late in a Game 5 loss with a 3, then appeared to hit a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6, but a replay review showed the ball was released a fraction of a second too late.

The younger Dudley represents an upgrade on the defensive end, but doesn't have close to the shot-making resume of Pierce.

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