With the fifth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected point guard Kris Dunn out of Providence. Dunn experienced some major struggles as a rookie on the offensive end, but he also showcased a defensive tenacity that could keep him in the league a long time.
He has stayed in the league a while, now in his 10th season and a little over a month away from turning 32 years old. Only one of those 10 seasons came with Minnesota, though, as the Wolves traded Dunn after his rookie year. Timberwolves’ fans will get to see Dunn on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon because the Timberwolves are taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in what is now Dunn’s second season with the team.
Kris Dunn has rejuvanted his career after a slow start
In June, it will be a full decade since the Wolves used a high lottery pick on Dunn. It wasn’t exactly a rookie season to remember for him, as Dunn averaged just 3.8 points in 17.1 minutes. Shooting struggles were a major part of the reason that he did not score much, as evidenced by his rookie shooting splits of 37.7/28.8/61.0.
Nobody can fault the Timberwolves for the trade they made at the 2017 NBA Draft. Coming off their 13th consecutive non-playoff season, Minnesota swung for star power by trading Dunn, the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (Lauri Markkanen), and Zach LaVine to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton. Butler helped end that lengthy postseason drought, but the partnership soured and was short-lived. Jimmy was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers early in his second season with Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Dunn would go on to play three years with the Bulls. The Clippers are his sixth NBA team as the 6-foot-3 guard also played a year with the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers while spending two years with the Utah Jazz.
Since leaving Minnesota, Dunn has started 260 of his 380 regular season appearances. With the Clippers, he has become a near full-time starter. Dunn has started 45 of his 51 outings this season, and 58 of 74 in 2024-25. He’s not going to put up gaudy averages (7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists in 2025-26, but Dunn often mans the opposing team’s best offensive backcourt player, and he is fifth in the NBA, averaging nearly 2 steals per 36 minutes.
Expect to see Dunn on Anthony Edwards quite a bit on Sunday.
Give Dunn a lot of credit for not letting that rookie year get to his head and continuing to play a large role in the league. He is in the second year of a three-year deal, without an extension, Dunn will become a free agent after the 2026-27 season. He will be 33 years old at that time, but I fully expect Dunn to remain in the league after that, barring an unforeseen steep drop-off.