Timberwolves fans would agree almost universally that their trade for Ayo Dosunmu was a wise decision. The 26-year-old fit in seamlessly from the get-go and became a fan favorite after just a couple of games with his new squad.Â
The one risk with the deal was the potential of Dosunmu just being a rental for them, as he is set to enter unrestricted free agency on June 30.
Bobby Marks of ESPN posted his NBA free agency rankings on Friday while listing the deal he’d offer for each of the players on there. For Dosunmu, Marks would offer a three-year deal worth $51 million. Notably, Ayo can sign a similar extension with Minnesota (three years, $52.4 million) before the start of free agency.
Dosumnu is one of the top unrestricted free agents
While the upcoming free agency class isn’t the greatest, there are still some notable players who can clearly help a team. Marks has Dosunmu as his fifth-best unrestricted free agent behind LeBron James, Norman Powell, CJ McCollum, and Coby White.
I’d argue Dosunmu should be ahead of McCollum (much younger) and White (better defender), but perhaps that’s a different article for a different day.Â
When the Timberwolves acquired Dosunmu (and Julian Phillips) in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks, they also acquired Ayo’s Bird rights. Therefore, they are allowed to enter the first apron when re-signing him, which they almost certainly would if they choose to bring him back.
Bringing back Dosunmu should be a priority, especially since Donte DiVincenzo will be out most, if not all, of next season with a torn Achilles. His 3-point shooting will be missed greatly, but Dosunmu is at least capable of making Minnesota miss him less.
Ayo is a 40 percent-plus 3-point shooter who can be the lead guard for an offense and is wonderful at navigating screens on defense. Personally, I think he may command more than $17 million per season in free agency.
In 24 regular season games after joining the Wolves, Dosunmu posted averages of 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. The fifth-year player shot 52.1 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from 3-point territory, and 92.5 percent from the foul line.
In the postseason saw him have the two highest scoring outputs off the bench in franchise playoff history, including a 43-point masterpiece in Game 4 of the opening round against the Denver Nuggets.
Nonetheless, it’s imperative that Minnesota does what is needed to bring back the 6-foot-4 guard. Dosunmu is likely to be just entering his prime, and further growth should be expected with a full training camp/offseason with the club.
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