It hasn't exactly been a trying season so far for the Chicago Bulls, owners of a surprising 6-3 record, an emerging MVP candidate and an enviously deep roster. But Ayo Dosunmu, and to an extent Coby White, are forcing the Bulls' front office to make an agonizing decision.
Both 25-year-old guards are crucial pieces of this Chicago team, but both will also be unrestricted free agents after the season, and the organization will likely have to make a choice: Dosunmu or White?
Should the Bulls re-sign Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu?
Both bring significant value to the Bulls in different ways. White is a talented, multi-level scorer who was poised to take over as the go-to offensive option. Despite having yet to make his season debut as he deals with a calf injury, his skill set as both a bucket-getter and an underrated playmaker will make an already prolific offense even more dangerous.
Dosunmu has always been one of Chicago's most stout ball stoppers as a strong 6-foot-5 athlete capable of defending guards and wings. But he's been a revelation on the other end this year, quickly becoming a lead on-ball option with his ability to blow by defenders and finish at the rim or spray passes out to open shooters.
The decision(s) that executive vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas, makes with his two young guards will alter the direction of the franchise.
How Chicago can keep both Dosunmu and White
Maybe it's a fruitless exercise, because shelling out money to sign two more guards after already having paid Josh Giddey $100 million over the next four seasons seems like questionable roster building. But as this year develops, there's an argument to be made for trying to do it anyway.
Giddey's massively team-friendly deal makes this idea possible. The 23-year-old is playing like a legitimate MVP candidate and is costing Chicago just $25 million a year, and the Bulls are projected to have the most cap space in the NBA this summer.
White will be in search of a long-term contract worth $30 million annually. But he's going to miss close to the entire first month of the season and won't be the featured scorer he was expected to be. On the flip side, Dosunmu wasn't as heralded an offensive player as he's proven to be so far in 2025-26. Perhaps a discounted White contract could balance out Dosunmu's likely pay raise.
Everything depends on White's reintegration to a group that's humming at a high level, but it's difficult to deny that both are important to a Bulls team that has a real chance at making the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.