Former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, at least for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season, is firmly in the Chicago Bulls' past. However, reporting from The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson (subscription required) shed new light on 2026 NBA trade deadline conversations between the Bulls and Detroit Pistons involving Dosunmu.
The Pistons ultimately pivoted away from a perceived premium trade price tag for Dosunmu that sought “young talent and picks”, according to Patterson’s report. Detroit settled on a modest trade of an expiring Jaden Ivey for Kevin Huerter and a nice rebate of a 2026 first-round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who also sent guard Mike Conley to the Bulls.
Eventually, the Bulls did secure an Ayo Dosunmu trade on the official Feb. 5, 2026, NBA trade deadline, shipping Dosunmu to the Timberwolves in exchange for Leonard Miller, Rob Dillingham, and four second-round picks.
From the Pistons' point of view, the news of being unwilling to meet the Bulls' asking price for Dosunmu may be the first of who knows how many what-ifs for the franchise that looked like a heavy favorite to win the NBA Eastern Conference title en route to the 2026 NBA Finals.
For a team that resorted to playing guard Daniss Jenkins for 22.7 minutes per game in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, there certainly is a retrospective case that the Pistons should have paid the price for Dosunmu’s scoring punch to pair with Cade Cunningham’s basketball galaxy of offensive production.
The lingering questions in the aftermath of Ayo’s departure
A subtle but notable detail in Patterson’s report cites uncertainty on whether Dosunmu, due to enter unrestricted NBA free agency in the 2026 NBA offseason, would re-sign with the Pistons, which contributed to their logic behind not trading for him. Where Dosunmu ultimately decides to sign a new contract is a mystery.
Despite reported interest from the Timberwolves to extend Dosunmu on a new contract, the Wolves are a financially constrained team that enters the 2026 NBA offseason $10.6 million under the luxury tax and $16.9 million under the first apron, according to Spotrac. Would Dosunmu consider a Chicago homecoming after getting a fresh taste of high-level consequential basketball in the NBA playoffs?
It’s hard to imagine Dosunmu would simply settle for familiar surroundings when he played the best basketball of his career in the Timberwolves 2026 NBA Playoffs run. Dosunmu should have a healthy free agency market of teams that need his three-level scoring and tough defensive reputation.
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