How the Kris Dunn era could benefit the Jazz in the long-term

Kris Dunn's time with Utah Jazz didn't last long and it's not like he as a player left much of a mark with the franchise. He worked his way up to being a shooting guard, and it was clear throughout his time with the team that he was a simple stopgap.

And while he didn't pay many dividends, what the Jazz did for him when it was all said and done could make him look very appealing to future free agents for when the Jazz plan to start winning. Whenever that is.

His NBA career was on life support when they signed him

Dunn came into the NBA with plenty of expectations that he did not live up to. While he was not a scrub by any means, he did not live up to the billing as a No. 5 pick when the Timberwolves drafted him in 2016.

He was not a scrub by any means. In fact, Dunn at one point established himself as an excellent perimeter defender, but injuries led to him falling out of the Hawks' rotation. Following a brief stint with the Trail Blazers, Dunn was all but out of options.

The Jazz gave him a flyer as the 2022-23 season was nearing its end, and the rest is history.

The Jazz could afford to start him as a rebuilding team

Since the Jazz had little to lose entering their rebuild, they had no qualms about starting Dunn. Doing so benefited both sides, as Dunn starting served as a showcase for anyone who could potentially be interested in him. In return, while the Jazz didn't get that much better, Dunn made them competitive enough that watching them wasn't a miserable experience.

It didn't lead to many wins but his addition also made it so that the Jazz's young players could be brought up slowly instead of being thrown right to the wolves. The NBA is not an easy transition, so having Dunn as a placeholder gives them the time to develop.

He just got his biggest payday

Again, Dunn didn't vault the Jazz to a whole new level, but it's not like they never asked him to. More importantly, they did exactly what he wanted them to do: re-establish his value. He was rewarded with a three-year, $18 million contract with the Clippers.

It's not like he was maxed out or anything, but Dunn is now an NBA player again, and a team that is trying to win (who let Paul George go) added him with the intention of playing him. It's amazing how much things can change in a little over a year's time.

Free agents could look at the Jazz as their potential big break

Knowing Dunn's story could make free agents in the future look into joining the Jazz. Dunn went from taking G-League contracts to signing long-term contracts to join playoff contenders. That may not have happened had the Jazz not given him the proper chance.

Because they now have a proven track record, they could appeal to free agents in the future because they could do what they did with Dunn on a much larger scale. That played a role in why Al Horford joined the Celtics, a team that struggled to lure free agents, because of how they utilized lesser-known players to the best they could at the time, like Evan Turner and Isaiah Thomas.

While one may think the Celtics' success has little to do with the Jazz, Danny Ainge is the common denominator here. He built a title team in Boston, and his fingerprints are all over their 2024 title team. Building a contender takes time, and while Dunn may be a footnote when the Jazz build their next contender, he could be among the first stepping stones to them getting over the hump.