The Minnesota Timberwolves should send flowers and a thank-you card to the former Bulls front office for giving away Ayo Dosunmu. But Chicago's next head of basketball operations could salvage the trade with one bold stroke of genius: Sign Dosunmu in free agency.
Former executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas traded the 26-year-old to Minnesota for Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller — neither of whom ever cracked the Wolves’ rotation — and four second-round picks.
It was arguably the most lopsided deal of the 2026 trade deadline.
But there are a few bright(ish) spots for Chicago.
Bulls should pursue Ayo Dosunmu in free agency this summer
The first bright spot just mentioned: Dosunmu is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he’s free to sign with any team this offseason.
The second bright spot? The Bulls will have more cap space than any NBA franchise.Â
That means Chicago can tempt Dosunmu with more money than anyone else, if it chooses to do so. Given their barren roster, the Bulls can also offer him a starting spot. And while it may not be an ultimate deciding factor, Dosunmu is from the Windy City.
It’s not like the Illinois product ever sought a trade. Quite the opposite, in fact. Given the choice, Dosunmu would have stayed put and tried to negotiate a long-term deal.
Re-signing Dosunmu would undo a massive mistake
After averaging 21.8 points on 60.9 percent shooting from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range through five playoff games, Dosunmu has put himself in line for a massive payday, potentially somewhere in the $20-25 million per year range.
Chicago has that kind of cash to splash and still make other upgrades across the roster — not many teams, including the Timberwolves, have that luxury.
And Dosunmu left the door slightly ajar for a possible return, telling Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, "This is what free agency is all about, sitting down and talking to teams, so I wouldn’t rule out no team."
He prefaced that by saying Minnesota will be first at the bargaining table; understandable given his fit and the Wolves’ desire to acquire him in the first place. The Bulls, remember, deemed him expendable in their quest to make up for three years' worth of lost moves in three days.
But that was a different regime. Maybe the new head of basketball ops — who could realistically come from the Timberwolves anyway — could convince him to come home.
In the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas: "So you're telling me there's a chance."
Add us as a preferred source on Google