In February, the Minnesota Timberwolves made an excellent decision in trading for Ayo Dosunmu. His stellar play with his new club earned him a new five-year, $112 million contract early in the offseason.
Before joining Minnesota, Dosunmu had only played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. The now-26-year-old spent his first four seasons with the Bulls—and part of a fifth—after they selected him 38th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Timberwolves didn’t travel to the United Center last season after the Dosunmu trade, so he hasn’t returned to Chicago in a Timberwolves uniform. With Minnesota ending its preseason schedule Friday on the road against the Bulls, the game could have marked Dosunmu’s first time back in Chicago as a player.
Instead, he will not play, but it isn't a concern for the Timberwolves.
Nothing to worry about with Dosunmu
Teams often sit players throughout the preseason, so there’s nothing to worry about regarding Dosunmu. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Dosunmu isn’t traveling to Chicago in order to rest, and not because of an injury.
Bulls fans will almost certainly give Dosunmu a nice ovation when he eventually returns to Chicago to play. They now have to wait nearly another three months to see it happen.
The two clubs only meet twice because they are in opposing conferences. The first matchup will be at the Target Center, and the only time that the two teams meet in Chicago is on January 14.
Dosunmu appeared in four of the Wolves' first five preseason contests. In 18.5 minutes per game, he averaged 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
Many of the pieces involved in the February trade aren’t around with the teams that acquired them anymore. The Timberwolves declined Julian Phillips’ team option for 2026–27. The Bulls traded 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham to the Charlotte Hornets in the offseason. Charlotte subsequently released him, and he remains unsigned.
For the first time, Wolves will see Leonard Miller in a different uniform
The one piece from that trade who will be around on Friday—unless the Bulls later rule him out—is Leonard Miller. After barely playing for Minnesota for 2.5 years, he’s had a much larger role with the Bulls and is having an excellent preseason. He’s been granted playing time that just never would have happened in Minnesota.
Again, there’s nothing to worry about with Dosunmu. With the regular-season opener against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat next Wednesday, Dosunmu will be ready for his role as the likely sixth man.
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