Crucial Ayo Dosunmu decision is already hanging over the Timberwolves

On the day of the NBA’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu (along with Julian Phillips) in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four future second- round picks.

Now 26 years old and in his fifth season, Dosunmu is in the final year of his three-year deal worth $21 million. He will likely look for a substantial raise on his next contract, and the Wolves will have a key decision to make on whether they will retain him.

Dosunmu is scheduled to be free agent after the season

A key aspect of the deal for Minnesota is that they now have Dosunmu’s Bird Rights. That will allow them to go over the cap to sign their new player in the offseason. If the Timberwolves decide not to retain him, he will just be a rental for a few months.

Through June, the Wolves can extend Dosunmu for up to three years/$52 million. Would offering him the max that they currently can be enough to get the 6-foot-4 guard to sign on the dotted line? While it’s a lot more money than his previous contract, Ayo is in the midst of his best season and seemingly in the prime of his career.

In his 45 appearances (10 starts) with the Bulls in 2025-26, the 2021 second round pick is posting averages of 15.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. The scoring mark is a career-best as is his 45.1 3-point accuracy which is eighth-best in the NBA.

If Ayo continues to play like that over the final 32 games for Minnesota, then he would certainly help a major need for the squad. The bench production outside of Naz Reid has been an issue all year. Bones Hyland can occasionally go off, but he’s also rather inconsistent. Dosunmu is a combo guard who can either take the backup point guard minutes from Hyland or play alongside him.

While obviously not a carbon copy of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dosunmu is expected to play a similar role to what Nickeil did for Minnesota. Alexander-Walker signed with the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason for four years/$60.65 million. It’s safe to say that if teams knew he was capable of the jump he has made this year with the Hawks, Alexander-Walker would have agreed to a larger deal.

If the Timberwolves let Ayo remain unsigned heading into the offseason, they run the risk of a team offering him more money than they are willing to pay. With what they gave up (even if Dillingham and Miller weren’t in the rotation), the expectation is that the Wolves don’t expect this to be a short-term partnership.