Kris Dunn has declined workouts with the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics. Does this mean anything for the Philadelphia 76ers?
The Philadelphia 76ers got very interested in Providence point guard Kris Dunn in the few short days at the NBA Draft Combine, only to find out on Tuesday that they wouldn’t have a draft pick to use positioned where Dunn is expected to go.
The Sixers have picks at 1, 24, and 26. Dunn will likely go anywhere from 4-7.
Dunn, too, was interested in the Sixers and spoke highly of his interview with the team at the Combine. The match seemed to be perfect. They both liked each other, he filled a void in the backcourt for the team, but the timing just wouldn’t end up being perfect.
Now, however, Dunn is refusing workouts with both the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, who hold the third and fourth overall picks in this year’s draft. Refusing a workout with the Celtics does not surprise me all that much since they have an established point guard in Isaiah Thomas and will likely choose someone other than Dunn. The Suns could pick him up, although they do have Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight at the point positions.
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Perhaps Dunn is trying to dictate where he goes in this year’s draft and give himself the best possible odds of landing on a team that will start him right away. Or, maybe he’s sending a message to Philly.
Dunn didn’t speak as highly of teams as high as he spoke of the Sixers. Is he trying to say something to Colangelo? “Trade up and get me. I want to play for you.”
If this is the case, the Sixers shouldn’t respond. Dunn is a good player, and it would have been nice for Philly to land at the first and fourth overall picks so they could get Ben Simmons/Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn, but that’s not how things played out.
Dunn is good, but he’s not the type of player that the Sixers should make a big deal to get. He fills a point guard void, yes, but the Sixers will have plenty of options to pick up other guards. Trading up to get him would require a dump of a lot of assets and potentially a few players, and Dunn has the potential to be a bust.
Next: The Case For and Against Drafting Kris Dunn
Free agency is an immediate option for point guards, as is the trade market. Next year, the draft will be deeper, and the Sixers should be a lottery team yet again, allowing them to pick up a point guard in the top 15 that’s better than any available this year.
Also, Dunn declining workouts with teams isn’t something we should get all that worked up over. Many players do this every year, and teams still often draft those players, despite the player declining to work out for that team.