Is Mike Dunleavy Jr. a Legit Option for a Contender Wanting to Add Depth?
Remember back in 2002 when the Golden State Warriors selected Duke forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. with the third pick in the draft? He was coming from a very good college career at Duke, but having a successful collegiate career does not always equal success at the next level.
Dunleavy never lived up to his draft status with the Warriors even though he struggled mightily during his rookie year. However, Dunleavy improved and was rewarded with a multi-year contract extension from the Warriors in November of 2005.
As a member of the Warriors, Dunleavy averaged 5.7 points in his rookie season but saw his scoring average increase in his first three seasons with the team. Under head coach Don Nelson, Dunleavy saw his playing time fluctuate; however, General Manager Chris Mullin liked Dunleavy and rewarded him with a five-year contract extension worth $44M in November 2005.
Looking back, this may have not been the right move for the Warriors, but the NBA takes a very short-term based approach when it looks to re-sign drafted players.
However, Dunleavy struggled after re-signing with the team. The Warriors decided to shake things up by making a trade with the Indiana Pacers, another team that was looking to make a change to their roster. Dunleavy was traded during the 2006-07 NBA season along with Troy Murphy, Keith McLeod and Ike Diogu to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell.
Dunleavy averaged a career-high 19.1 points in his first full season in Indiana and started in 82 games. The move seemed to be a blessing in disguise for him as he was able to start over and help a team that was in the midst of rebuilding. In 2008-09 Dunleavy played in only 18 games due to a knee injury that eventually required surgery.
He played in 67 games with the Pacers during the 2009-10 NBA season looking to find his game after his knee injury and surgery, but only averaged 9.9 points. He improved his scoring average to 11.2 points per game during the 2010-11 NBA season, including making his playoff debut. However, during the playoffs he averaged five points in five games in 14.4 minutes.
Nine years later, Dunleavy is an unrestricted free agent looking to continue his NBA career. He has also has seen his role change from being a starter to coming off the bench in shortened minutes. Injuries have been an issue, but as long as he can shoot a decent percentage, teams would be willing to give him a look.
If he is willing to accept this role, he should have an easier chance at landing another opportunity within the league. He can sign for the veteran minimum as he is not likely to receive a multi-year contract extension at this point of his career.
