Amid all the trade rumors, re-signing Ayo Dosunmu remains the Minnesota Timberwolves' top priority right now. The 26-year-old guard immediately proved to be a seamless fit with the Wolves after being acquired at the trade deadline. With each passing report, though, it seems like his market is trending up.
Recently, HoopsHype reported that Ayo’s salary range is roughly between $18 million and $20 million a year.
"According to NBA executives who’ve spoken with HoopsHype, Dosunmu’s range is projected to be somewhere north of $18 million annually and could reach the low $20 million range," Michael Scotto reported.
Why Ayo Dosunmu is worth a hefty salary
While this is undoubtedly a hefty salary, especially if it exceeds the $20 million range annually, the Wolves can’t be scared off by this type of commitment.
Without a doubt, Dosunmu is one of the more coveted archetypes around the league: a versatile guard. There’s a reason why re-signing him would be costly; players like Ayo are ideal fits alongside established star talent.
The Wolves can’t risk losing Dosunmu even if re-signing him costs a pretty penny.
As noted earlier, Dosunmu proved to be an ideal fit with the Wolves from the get-go. He gave them a well-rounded boost with his blend of finishing, connective playmaking, 3-point shooting and defense.
By all accounts, Dosunmu is a perfect fit alongside Anthony Edwards and it’s possible he can offer more with a consistent role. His 43-point game in Game 4 of the first-round will forever offer hope that he can scale up if given the chance.
Championship-winning teams are littered with players like Ayo and he’ll be an important part of the Wolves reaching another level. Last offseason, the Wolves lost a similar type of player, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, in free agency and they can't make this same mistake again.
And despite Ayo's projected high salary, all signs point to the Timberwolves getting a deal done with him.
The implications of re-signing Ayo
Now re-signing Ayo, especially to a number around what the current rumors are, does carry some implications for the Wolves.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Wolves will likely have to open up some cap space with a cost-cutting move to re-sign Ayo and this latest report all but guarantees this possibility. It’s worth noting that while the Wolves are currently $30 million under the second apron, Dosunmu could take up about roughly $20 million of this and Minnesota still has six other free agents and a draft pick to account for.
Likewise, it’s fair to assume that the Wolves will have to wait until free agency officially starts to re-sign Dosunmu. This is worth noting since the Wolves can technically re-sign Dosunmu to a three-year $52.4 million deal before free agency starts. That extension number is just below his reported value, thus it’s likely he’ll test the open market.
The Wolves have several options to shed salary, most notably trading one of Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert. I suppose Donte DiVincenzo could also be traded in a pure salary dump move. Regardless, I think the most likely scenario is that their cost-saving move centers around one of the two veteran big men, while the other could be moved in a cap-neutral deal for either a talent and/or fit upgrade.
The Wolves could very well wait to make these trades until they have Ayo’s official salary worked out; this way, they’d know how much they have to save.
While there are some clear implications to signing Dosunmu to such a hefty contract, in the end, it’s worth it to secure a guard who fits long-term with Ant-Man.
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