Get to the point: Can Bulls do better than Kris Dunn at point guard?

The front office has been adamant since last winter that improvement must be made at the position, whether it comes in free agency or through the draft.

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Kris Dunn recovers a loose ball against the Nets in December.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Kris Dunn won’t be the Bulls’ starting point guard when the NBA season tips off in October. If he is, something will have gone wrong for the Bulls during the offseason or in training camp.

Dunn’s attitude has been that the job is his. The front office, however, has been adamant since the winter that the Bulls must improve at the position, be it through free agency or through the draft.

The latter scenario will be explored Thursday, with the Bulls holding the seventh overall pick in the draft.

The problem is that it’s a numbers game at point guard in the draft. After forward Zion Williamson goes No. 1 to the Pelicans, the Grizzlies already have said Ja Morant will be the heir apparent to veteran point guard Mike Conley at No. 2.

That leaves four teams sitting ahead of the Bulls in the draft order and only one real point guard — Darius Garland — worth a top-10 selection left on the board.

The Knicks seem poised to select forward RJ Barrett at No. 3 before things get interesting. The Pelicans also hold the No. 4 pick after the mega-deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers, and they have a backlog at point guard with newcomer Lonzo Ball and veteran Jrue Holiday.

There is talk the Pelicans are in on shooting guard Jarrett Culver, but now that they are in full rebuild mode, what would it take for the Bulls to move up to No. 4 and grab Garland? That assumes, of course, that general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson think highly enough of Garland to trade possible future assets to draft him.

Garland is a good shooter and has great ballhandling skills, but his decision-making was questionable at times, as was his ball security. Basically, those are the two biggest knocks on Dunn. So how much better would Garland actually make the Bulls if he can’t improve on those weaknesses?

The other concern is that Garland played in only five games last season at Vanderbilt before being sidelined with torn cartilage in his left knee, so the sample size is small.

One source told the Sun-Times that the Bulls’ interest in Garland is more smokescreen than reality and that the front office is zeroing in on wings De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Sekou Doumbouya as higher priorities.

Big man Jaxson Hayes also has been rumored to be linked to the Bulls, but collecting wing defenders — especially for when Lauri Markkanen switches from forward to center — is a must for coach Jim Boylen if the team is to take the next step in its rebuild.

This is good news for Dunn — at least until free agency rolls around. One source said that even if the Bulls draft Garland, they will look to add a veteran point guard to the mix.

If they don’t draft Garland, however, which point guard might the Bulls target in free agency? Patrick Beverley is an ideal fit, but only at the right price. Paxson has said he wants to add depth on the bench, especially in the toughness department, so the Bulls’ plan is to use their cap space to sign at least two free agents this summer.

Ish Smith and Cory Joseph are worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re Dunn.

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