Bulls' John Paxson: Kris Dunn Still Valued 'Very Much' After Drafting Coby White

As the Chicago Bulls prepare for next season with No. 7 overall pick Coby White in the fold, it does leave questions about Kris Dunn's role with the organization. 

Per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said he still values Dunn as an asset with White able to challenge him during training camp:

"I've mentioned many times since the season ended that we haven't given up on Kris. He's a good basketball player. ... We still value Kris very much. But competition is a part of this business. You have to have that. The goal for us is to be deeper, more talented. You see in our game today, the successful teams have versatile rosters.

"We respect Kris Dunn. We want him to come in and work. But nothing can be given to you in this game. And, hey, if he comes in, as we hope, in training camp in great shape and ready to roll, he has every chance to earn any spot he wants—just like any of our guys do."

Paxson hasn't been shy about expressing his desire to find an upgrade at point guard heading into next season. 

"We have not given up on Kris," he told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times in April. "I think he has defensive abilities. But we have to get better at that position—there's absolutely no question in my mind."

Dunn averaged 11.3 points and 6.0 assists last season. The 25-year-old has become a better shooter in two seasons with the Bulls, but he's only connected on 42.7 percent of his attempts since 2017-18. He's also missed 66 games over the past two seasons because of injuries.

White joins the Bulls after a solid freshman year at North Carolina. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.1 assists per game, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field. 

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman described White as a "more advanced" scorer than facilitator. 

Even though White isn't yet a playmaker who can get his teammates involved in the offense, one advantage he has over Dunn is youth. He's going to play most of next season at 19 years old and has time to develop his passing skills with a core of young talent that also includes Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.