Kris Dunn Doesn't Want to Be Drafted by the Suns or Celtics
By Jason McIntyre
Kris Dunn is the best point guard in the 2016 NBA draft, a former Top 20 recruit who missed virtually all of his sophomore season due to a shoulder injury, but became an All-American as a senior. Dunn had two shoulder surgeries within 18 months in 2012 and 2013 and that’s going to be an issue in the weeks leading up to the 2016 draft – but more on that in a second.
The NBA is flooded with talented point guards right now – and that’s definitely the case among teams drafting in the Top 5. The Lakers at #2 (D'Angelo Russell), the Celtics at #3 (leading scorer Isaiah Thomas), the Suns at #4 (Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe), and the Timberwolves at #5 (Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine).
Ideally for Dunn, the 76ers would find a way to get him; or he’d drop to the Pelicans 6th.
And it seems like his agent is going to try and get him to avoid going to the teams with a young point guard. Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reported that Dunn’s agent didn’t submit him for a physical at the NBA Combine, meaning only select teams will be able to look into his shoulder history.
This is clearly setting up a situation where Boston, in the unenviable 3rd spot, will have to decide between European 18-year old Dragan Bender and trading the pick in exchange for an instant impact player.
And you know who comes to mind? The 76ers. They need a point guard. They could use Kris Dunn. Could that set up a scenario where the Celtics make a move on Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel in some sort of exchange for the 4th pick?
Boston’s been to the playoffs two years in a row under Brad Stevens, but is signing someone like Al Horford going to help them get to the conference finals? The Celtics have half a dozen talented guards on the roster and were 11th in 3-pointers attempted per game (but only 28th in shooting percentage from deep at 33.5%) but don’t have one reliable low-post player inside.
Imagine this haul for Philadelphia – Ben Simmons forces the 76ers to pass, so they settle for Brandon Ingram, and then get Kris Dunn 3rd.
76ers:
PG – Kris Dunn
SF – Nick Stauskas
SF – Brandon Ingram
PF – Nerlens Noel
C – Joel Embiid (assuming he’s not hurt again)
Embiid is the real question. Who knows how good he’ll be? And don’t forget, there’s another 6-foot-10 lottery pick stashed overseas in Dario Saric.