Kris Dunn Doesn’t Want to be a Celtic
By Jeremy Karll
Kris Dunn has made it clear he doesn’t want to be drafted by Boston or Phoenix
The Draft Lottery just happened and one top-five prospect is already trying to control his own destiny. Kris Dunn, the point guard out of Providence, is widely considered the best point guard in this year’s draft. After staying in school for an extra year, Dunn repeated as Big East Player of the Year and led Providence to the NCAA Tournament.
Dunn averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as a senior. He’s one of the best all-around players in the draft and seems poised to be a top-ten pick this year.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Dunn has told the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns that he doesn’t want to be drafted by them because of their young, established point guards.
Dunn didn’t submit a physical during the NBA Draft Combine last week and reports are saying he might not submit them to Boston and Phoenix. This would definitely be a huge road block for the teams picking third and fourth in this year’s draft.
The Celtics are run by Isaiah Thomas who is coming off the best season of his career and an All-Star appearance. Boston also has Marcus Smart on the bench and Terry Rozier was the Celtics’ first round pick last season. The Suns have two point guards in Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, alongside rookie sensation Devin Booker.
Both teams have crowded back courts so it makes sense that Dunn doesn’t want to go to a team he’ll have to fight for minutes right away, but this was not the right way to go about it.
Both teams would have at least worked Dunn out to get a better idea of his game, however, all teams do that when they’re in the top-five. It doesn’t mean the Celtics or Suns would have selected him.
The Philadelphia 76ers are leaning heavily towards Ben Simmons but they’re still going to workout him, Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield and more just to make sure they’re picking the right player.
With that being said, Kris Dunn making this statement could cause him to fall in the draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick are the first team who will take a serious look at him, but that could change after this. It could raise some red flags about attitude issues for the young guard.
Next: Five Options With the Third Pick
It may not cause Dunn to fall in the draft, or it could. He won’t drop out of the top-ten unless a lot more red flags show up between now and the draft. It’s only one day after the Draft Lottery and there’s already drama involving a draft prospect and team.