The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted point guard Kris Dunn with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.
According to 1500 ESPN, Dunn is the back-to-back Big East Player of the Year.
He averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game at Providence last season. He is a threat to shoot the ball, knocking down 47.7 percent of his field goal attempts and hit 37 percent from the three-point line.
Many NBA draft experts believed he would go before the Wolves were on the clock. ESPN’s Chad Ford ranked him No. 3 in his draft class.
“Dunn’s athleticism, defensive ability and floor vision make him the favorite of teams that want an instant-impact point guard who can lock down other opponents and run a team.”
There had been some speculation that Minnesota might try to trade the No. 5 pick in a deal to acquire a veteran forward, however no deal was agreed to.
Sounds like Wolves turned down big offers from Bulls and 76ers for No. 5 pick. They must love Kris Dunn. Could still be a trade, of course.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 24, 2016
However, it doesn’t look like the Wolves are done trying to make deals. Canis Hoopus says it appears that Minnesota is more likely to trade Dunn than keep him, and ESPN’s Marc Stein specifically points to Chicago.
ESPN sources say Minnesota continues to try to engage Chicago on talks built around Kris Dunn to try to import Jimmy Butler to the Wolves
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2016
However, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski has a different take on what the pick could mean.
Minnesota has been shopping Ricky Rubio throughout the week. His future in Minnesota is likely coming to an end.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2016
We’ll see what happens over the rest of the night or maybe even the next few days and weeks.
