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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kris Dunn
Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with Kris Dunn, who turned in one of the best defensive seasons in franchise history.
Basic Information
Height: 6’3
Weight: 205 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward/Point Guard
Age: 31
Years in NBA: 9
Key Regular Season Stats: 6.4 points, 2.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.0 turnovers in 24.1 minutes per game across 74 games played (58 starts) on 43.9/33.5/68.2 (3.0 3PA, 0.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (53.1 True Shooting)
Postseason Stats: 6.3 points, 1.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.1 turnovers in 39.4 minutes per game across seven games played (six starts) on 38.6/35.7 shooting splits (4.0 3PA, 0 FTA) shooting splits (50.0 True Shooting)
Expectations
The acquisition of Kris Dunn on a 3 year, $16M deal as part
of a sign and trade for Russell Westbrook was widely liked by Clippers’ fans
and the general NBA media. However, Dunn was generally considered one of the
most minor of the Clippers’ offseason additions, certainly ranking behind
Derrick Jones Jr. and Nic Batum. People expected Dunn to serve as a reserve
guard capable of manning either the point guard or off-guard role, likely in a
pairing with Norm Powell. He was anticipated to serve as a point-of-attack
stopper, energy bringer off the bench, and a spare ballhandler behind James
Harden.
Reality
The first 11 games of the season went more or less as expected for Kris, who came off the bench and played mostly between 18 to 20 minutes per game. Then, after game 11, with the Clippers’ defense looking a bit inconsistent and the ballhandling pressure on James Harden being too much, Kris was moved into the starting lineup for Terance Mann. And, outside of around a month-long stretch in the middle of the season when he was dealing with a knee injury, he never left it. Dunn’s defense, connective passing, additional ballhandling, and rebounding were all crucial components for the Clippers, even as his varying three-point shot and lack of scoring at the rim were costly on offense. His demonic help defense, ability to generate turnovers, and nagging presence at the point of attack had Dunn ranked as one of the very best defenders in the entire NBA by all advanced metrics as well as the eye test. There were times it seemed Dunn might get benched for Derrick Jones Jr., or Nic Batum, or even Amir Coffey, but he was simply too good for Ty Lue to go away from in the regular season.
Unfortunately, the playoffs did not go quite so well. Dunn had a strong impact at the start of the series as the Clippers seized an early 2-1 lead against the Nuggets. Denver consistently sagged off Dunn and let him shoot threes, but he made them at a solid enough rate and his defense was good enough that any deficits on offense were overcome. As the series went along, however, the Clippers’ offense began to get bogged down, and Ty Lue started searching for other answers. Dunn was benched in the second half of Game 6 for Nic Batum, who then also started Game 7. Dunn was skittish in his brief appearance in Game 7, and mostly played late when the game was already over. Like for almost everyone on the Clippers, it was a disappointing showing, even though I’d argue Dunn met expectations better than most on the team – at least the defense was great, and the three-point shooting numbers were actually solid.
It’s rather hard to overstate Dunn’s impact on the Clippers this year. He was the best perimeter defender I’ve seen in my time covering and watching the Clippers – better than Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Pat Beverley, Luc Mbah a Moute, or whoever else you’d want to throw in that mix from the Blake, Lob City, and 213 eras. He was not just an impactful defensive player on the court, but his energy, hustle, and leadership were huge factors in the Clippers’ overall transformation into a gritty defense-first team. He single-handedly turned several games in the Clippers’ favor, and was a floor raiser on the defensive end that is extremely rare for perimeter players. Despite the disappointing ending in the playoffs for Dunn and the Clippers, it was an extremely memorable season for Dunn in a Clippers’ jersey.
Future with Clippers
Kris Dunn is signed for the 2026 season at $5.4M and then has a non-guaranteed $5.7M in 2027. If Dunn is even remotely close to the player he was in this past season, he will provide far more value than those figures. However, the fact that he outperformed his contract so much is precisely what offers him trade value – there are many, many NBA teams that would love to have Dunn on his current deal. If the Clippers want to do more of a full roster reset, Dunn is one of the players on the team that probably has the most positive value.
At the end of the day, however, Dunn almost certainly has more value to the Clippers than another team – they aren’t getting a lottery pick or blue chip youngster for him, and he’s not a big enough swing piece for a star. Since all the reporting is that the Clippers want to be competitive again next year, trading Dunn or other vets for a step back probably isn’t in the cards anyway.
There’s also the simple fact that Dunn was one of if not the most important piece(s) in the Clippers’ defense-first identity this past season. Yes, he’s probably too limited on offense to be a starter on a true contender. But the Clippers can’t replace his defense, tenacity, and heart. Unless the Clippers get a shocking offer for Dunn, I would expect him to be on the Clips again next season, just maybe in a slightly smaller role.