Dunking With Wolves
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The Timberwolves should trade Kris Dunn

By Christian Anton

Apr 12, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kris Dunn (3) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kris Dunn (3) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a rocky rookie season, the Timberwolves should consider making Kris Dunn available to a team who covets his upside.  

Let’s talk about a young point guard with a lot of potential. One who plays solid defense, but has a very limited offensive game…and it’s not Ricky Rubio for once. No, in fact, it’s Kris Dunn.

To say Kris Dunn had a disappointing rookie season would be an understatement.  Let’s put it this way, Jonny Flynn and Wesley Johnson both had better rookie seasons than Kris Dunn.

Just how bad was his rookie season?

For starters, Kris Dunn couldn’t even crack the top-20 rookies in scoring. His per-game turnover numbers were the same as his steals per game. And as if those aren’t enough reasons, he also had the second-lowest shooting percentage on the entire team at just 37.7 percent.

For a guy who was supposedly one of the most NBA-ready players coming into the league last year, that is absolutely atrocious.

If this isn’t alarming to the front office, it should be to fans. The Minnesota Timberwolves are no stranger to high lottery picks not working out, and at very least the Wolves should entertain the idea of moving Kris Dunn for the right price.

Dunn still has a ton of upside and at the end of the day, he is still young. There were moments last year where fans were treated to his great athletic ability as well as his stifling defense. However, in a crowded back court, Kris Dunn seems to be something along the lines of a project player that may or may not be worth the commitment.

There are plenty of teams in the NBA who would jump at the chance to groom such a highly-touted, athletic guard with potential, and the fact is that the Timberwolves need guys that can help them win now with their young, up-and-coming core.

What I am proposing is including Dunn in a package of other assets to acquire a veteran starter or sixth-man type that could help the Wolves win in the immediate future.

By pairing the seventh-overall pick with Kris Dunn, the Timberwolves would have a solid base to start negotiating with potential trade partners.  A guy like Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez could be a great target for Minnesota because of the Nets’ lack of lottery assets — and talent.

Regardless of whether or not the Timberwolves decide to trade Kris Dunn, they need to at least be open to the idea of a trade seeing as Dunn did nothing to assert himself in his first year.

Next: Timberwolves Free Agency: C.J. Miles

Sure, I hope that I am wrong about Kris Dunn and that he flourishes into the perfect point guard compliment that the Timberwolves’ young core deserves. However, we have also witnessed too many players fall well short of their hype for this franchise, and we can’t afford to have it happen again.