Once the offseason began, Ayo Dosunmu was projected by many to receive a new contract worth somewhere between $18 million and $20 million annually. It was also known that the Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely wanted to retain him, as the optics wouldn’t be great after dealing Rob Dillingham away less than two years after selecting him eighth overall in order to acquire Dosunmu. Plus, Dosunmu was great for Minnesota in his first few months with his new club.
Before free agency even began, the Timberwolves re-signed Dosunmu to a five-year deal worth $112 million ($22.4 million per season). Perhaps it was a slight overpay, but it was also a necessary one to bring back someone who fit in with the Wolves so seamlessly.
On Tuesday, FanSided.com writer Lucas Johnson ranked what he believes are the 10 worst NBA free agent contracts of the 2026 offseason so far. Coming in at eighth is the Dosunmu deal, and Timberwolves fans aren’t likely to agree with its inclusion.
Dosunmu's contract isn't bad value
Every year in NBA free agency, there are always a few contracts that seem unlikely to pan out. Most of them don’t. As I stated, maybe Dosunmu received more money than expected, but this also doesn’t seem like a deal that won’t turn out well for Minnesota.
Dosunmu’s versatility allows him to wear different hats and play different roles for the Timberwolves. The 26-year-old can slide into the starting lineup, or he can play the role Naz Reid played for the team in recent years, which is to be the most productive player off the bench.
He would be a sneaky-strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year if Chris Finch uses him as a reserve. Dosunmu can be used as a lead ball handler or share the floor with LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards by playing more off the ball.
In 24 regular-season games with the Wolves, Dosunmu averaged 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 28.9 minutes. Obviously, it was a small sample size, but he possessed excellent shooting splits of 52.1/41.4/92.5. Through five years, Dosunmu has shot better than 50% from the field and 38% from 3-point distance in his career, so his Minnesota shooting marks aren’t that far off from what he’s done throughout his career.
Many of the contracts on Johnson’s list seem deserving of being included. The infamous Gary Trent Jr. contract, along with those of DeAndre Jordan and Zach Collins, are almost universally seen as head-scratching deals. Of course, this is a subjective list, but along with Dosunmu, I don’t believe Marcus Smart or Kenrich Williams belong on it either.
Once someone like Coby White re-signed with the Charlotte Hornets for $24.7 million annually, it made Dosunmu’s deal seem even more reasonable. Plus, Dosunmu is at the age when he should be in his prime for much of the five years he signed for.
While his contract increases in salary each year—as does the salary cap—his cap hit is only the 104th-highest as of now for 2026–27 per Basketball Reference. That's not bad value by any means.
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