The Chicago Bulls have been relentlessly criticized for holding onto DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso for too long and not maximizing their two best trade assets.
The Bulls may be there again with Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, two talented young players who are on value deals. The Bulls could potentially get a haul for trading either or both of them, which may be appealing to a team entering a rebuild with no draft assets.
A recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report has the Bulls trying to cash in on Ayo Dosunmu by trading him to the Bucks for veteran Pat Connaughton and a 2031 1st-round pick swap.
It’s an interesting proposal and you can make an argument either way for the Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls should walk away
When you factor in his defense, contract, age and the fact that he narrowly missed shooting 50/40/90 last season, there is an argument that Dosunmu is one of the best value deals in the NBA.
He’s only making $7 and 7.5 million over the next two seasons and could be a building block if he continues to expand his game offensively next season in a bigger role.
Dosunmu is already an impact and versatile defender who knocks down over 40 percent of his 3-point shots, a valuable commodity in the present-day NBA. He's also a fan-favorite from Chicago, so the Bulls front office would squander any remaining (if there is any) goodwill they have with the fans.
Connaughton, who is 31-years-old and stinks, makes more than Dosunmu over the next two seasons, so the 2031 pick swap would be the big prize here.
A swap doesn’t guarantee anything for the Bulls, who would be gambling one of their best players and trade assets on hope that is more than six years down the road.
The only way this should appeal to the Bulls is if they are embracing a full-blown tank job, but there is an argument that they should be.
This Ayo Dosunmu trade would be a smart bet for the Bulls
The Bulls aren’t going to be good next season, but may not be bad enough to hold onto their top-10 protected pick in 2025, which should be a priority considering the draft is loaded with talent.
There is also the issue of future contracts, as Dosunmu’s current one is too low to extend off of, which means he’s more than likely to become an unrestricted free agent that the Bulls would have to bid on like everyone else.
It’s fair to ask if the Bulls want to be paying Dosunmu upwards of $20 million a year as they are rebuilding, and if not, whether they should cash in now.
Swapping out Dosunmu for Connaughton would be a move towards a full-on tank. Add in a Zach LaVine trade and you finally have the rebuild fans have been hoping for, as Chicago would be left with Coby White, Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams, and a top-10 pick in 2025 to build around.
Six years may seem a long time to wait to cash in on a draft asset, but the Bucks could be terrible by then, as Giannis will be 35 and possibly on another team and Damian Lillard will be 40 and out of the league.
This will be about the time the Bucks are rebuilding, so that 2031 pick could end up being a high one.
By then, the some of the Bulls young talent should be ready to win and they’d be potentially adding a top pick to a solid roster or have a huge asset to use in a trade for a star.
If the Bulls want to tank and add some potentially high value draft assets, trading Dosunmu is an option, but better deals might exist, ones that pay off a little closer to the present day.