Report: Kris Dunn picks up player option for 2021-22 season

Last offseason, the Atlanta Hawks signed then free agent guard Kris Dunn to a two-year, $10 million contract, with the second year being a player option. After a lost season that was riddled with injuries for Dunn, it comes as no surprise that Shams Charania reports he is accepting his $5 million option for the 2021-22 season.

Dunn played just nine total games for the Hawks in 2020-21, with five of those being in the postseason. Knee and ankle injuries sidelined him for all but four games of the regular season. When he did play, Dunn seemed fairly limited. While he was never a good offensive player in the NBA, he produced almost nothing on that end for Atlanta this season.

Dunn was likely originally signed by Travis Schlenk to log some backup point guard minutes and play defense on the point of attack. These are still tools the Hawks roster could use, it remains to be seen however if the Hawks will entrust a roster spot to Dunn again next season. Feasibly, they could trade him to another team even if they end up having to attach a future second-round pick or two to get Dunn’s contract off the books.

Plenty of more news and rumors could be on the way ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft and the beginning of free agency on Aug. 2.

Stay tuned.