Former Atlanta Hawks guard facing final chance in Summer League

The Atlanta Hawks moved on from Kris Dunn last offseason when they made the trade they had to make. They sent Dunn and Bruno Fernando to the Boston Celtics for Tristan Thompson who was then flipped to the Sacramento Kings for Delon Wright.

However, this was not the end of Dunn’s offseason movements. In fact, he did not have a good offseason at all, being traded again, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies, and then waived. He then spent some time in the G League with the Agua Caliente Clippers, playing a total of 15 games.

He then received an NBA reprieve when the Portland Trail Blazers signed him to a ten-day contract in late March. Then they signed him to a second ten-day contract in early April. The first game that Dunn played was against the Hawks, where he struggled, fouling out.

Ex-Atlanta Hawks guard Kris Dunn has signed on with the Wizards for Summer League.

This feels a little like Dunn’s last chance to make an NBA roster. At 28 he has never really been able to develop a consistent jump shot which means that one avenue to the bucket is removed from his arsenal. He is a good shot-creator for others, but his lack of shooting allows for NBA-level defenses to cheat off him.

Dunn is one of the best defenders in the NBA, that is what he has based his career on. However, what he needs to do is show the NBA that he can produce at a greater level offensively. The Washington Wizards added a heap of guards to their roster over the summer, meaning that Dunn may struggle to get on their roster but Summer League allows him to audition for other squads.

If Dunn is not able to make the Wizards or any other roster, then he is going to be consigned to the G League or even get a contract overseas. However, his NBA career appears to be very much at the crossroads given that he is one of the few veterans on a Summer League roster.

Let’s hope for Dunn’s sake that he is able to make a squad and perform at a high level for next season.