Ty Lue Addresses Clippers’ Upcoming Kris Dunn Contract Decision

“He means a lot to the team,” he continues.” Everything he brings: His unselfishness, who he stands for as a person. He’s just a winner; he does all the winning things. And so whether he makes (an All-Defensive team) or not, which I hope he does for him, he’ll be here (next season).”

The Value Of Availability

If Dunn doesn’t make the All-Defensive Team in 2025-26, which would automatically guarantee his contract for the 2026-27 season, it won’t be because he’s one of the players in danger of missing out on an end-of-season accolade due to falling below the 65-game threshold.

For the second consecutive season, the Providence product has played in at least 72 games. His availability definitely stands out in a league with teams that routinely use cryptic injury designations to keep players in street clothes. It’s even more notable because L.A. has long been one of those teams.

In fact, over the past two seasons, Dunn has played in 53 more games than Clippers cornerstone Kawhi Leonard. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Dunn is more important to the team than Leonard. Nonetheless, between his durability and his defense, it’s difficult to quantify his value. He doesn’t have to be the player that Los Angeles is building around to be part of their foundation.

All the same, with just 450 standard contracts available (until expansion), the NBA doesn’t have the greatest job security. Furthermore, the league might drop the hammer on Leonard and the Clippers for salary cap circumvention. If so, L.A.’s little brother franchise could go from playoff contenders (pretenders?) to lottery shoppers overnight.

Keeping that in mind, Dunn turned 32 years old on March 18. With his age and his injury history, the Clippers could easily decide to move on from him if Leonard isn’t part of the equation. Well, at least that was the case until Lue made his comments.