Dudley agrees to 3-year, $30 million deal with Suns

PHOENIX (AP) Jared Dudley is returning to the Phoenix Suns. Dudley and his management company announced agreement Friday night on a three-year, $30 million

PHOENIX (AP) Jared Dudley is returning to the Phoenix Suns.

Dudley and his management company announced agreement Friday night on a three-year, $30 million contract.

The 30-year-old forward played for the Suns from the middle of the 2008-09 season, when he was acquired in a trade with Charlotte, through the 2012-13 campaign.

The 6-foot-7 Dudley played small forward most of his nine-year NBA career, but was moved to power forward for the Washington Wizards last season.

Dudley appeared in 81 games for the Wizards last season, averaging 7.9 points. He was one of the NBA's top 3-point shooters, making 42 percent of his long-range shots. He has made 39 percent of his 3-pointers in his career.

Dudley fills a need for the Suns at the so-called ''stretch-4'' power forward slot. He also brings a veteran presence to an exceedingly young team, with a reputation of being well-liked by his teammates.

''Phx!!!!!!!!!! I'm coming home!!!!!!!!!!,'' Dudley said in a tweet.

Dudley played a significant role in the 2009-10 team that made it to the Western Conference finals, a season in which Terry Porter was fired as coach at the All-Star break and replaced by Alvin Gentry.

Several teams were interested in Dudley, including Utah.

He had stops with the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee before spending last season with the Wizards.

Dudley joins a team that won 23 games last season, second-worst in its history, and is in a rebuilding-with-youth phase centered on budding star Devin Booker.