Suns Ink Jared Dudley to 5-Year, $22.5 Million Extension

Phoenix locked up one of its more popular players last night, as the AZ Republic reports: “In a deal equivalent of a game-winning shot at the buzzer, Dudley signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension 10 minutes before the deadline that would have made him a free agent next summer. Instead, Dudley agreed to a deal that will guarantee him $4.25 million each season with up to $250,000 in playoff incentives each year for reaching the second round or conference finals ($125,000 each). Dudley can opt out before the contract’s final year, 2015-16. ‘It was a very challenging environment now to do this,’ Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said, referring to negotiations between the NBA and players union for a new collective-bargaining agreement. ‘You’ve got uncertainty about what the rules and CBA will be. It takes a lot of hard work, compromise and good will to get it done. We have great confidence in who he is as a player and as a person.’ Dudley, 25, has been a hustling, court-savvy reserve for the Suns who has developed into a good defender and 3-point shooter. On Monday morning, neither party expected a deal before the 9 p.m. deadline.”