Last offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to re-sign Julius Randle and Naz Reid, while letting Nickeil Alexander-Walker sign with the Atlanta Hawks. The Wolves wouldn't be able to re-sign all three of these players without going into the second tax apron or making some subsequent moves.Â
At the time, the decision made sense, with NAW being a solid role player, and the Wolves having seemingly natural replacements for him on the roster. Unfortunately, the results proved to be disastrous as Alexander-Walker reached new heights, winning the Most Improved Player award and becoming a 20-point-per-game scorer. Now, losing NAW seems like a grave mistake.Â
The Wolves struggled to fill the void left behind by Alexander-Walker for most of the season. That is, until they landed Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline. While the Wolves don't have three pricey free agents this time around, they must do whatever it takes to re-sign Ayo and correct last summer's mistake.
Losing Ayo would be devastating due to both his on-court value and the investment they made by trading for him at the deadline.Â
The Timberwolves must re-sign Ayo Dosunmu to correct their Nickeil Alexander-Walker mistake
Dosunmu is what I like to call an elite scalable guard. He's not a star, but he doesn't have any notable flaws, can play a pure complementary role, and he's also capable of scaling up into a bigger role. Ayo's 43-point performance in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets is proof that he can scale up.Â
This is easily one of the most archetypes in the league, especially next to Anthony Edwards. The Wolves already had one elite scalable guard that they let walk, and they can't make this a second.
It's unclear whether Ayo has enough playmaking juice to be the Wolves' long-term lead guard option. Nevertheless, his ability to create for himself at all three levels, spot-up, and defend makes him a perfect fit alongside Ant. Plus, Dosunmu is just 26 years old, making him a long-term fit with this team.Â
Simply put, he's too valuable not to be retained.
Re-signing Ayo might prove to be tricky, but it will be worth it
After Game 6's loss, Ayo spoke highly about the Timberwolves, but also noted he's excited for free agency.
"The main thing that I really appreciated with Minnesota is how they accepted me. Coming in at the trade deadline, they accepted me right away. The fans are amazing, the environment is amazing, I loved it. Being my first time being traded, I think they really took me in with open arms. So, I'm excited. Of course, I’m excited also for free agency. Being in the league for five years, this is my first time being able to go through free agency unrestricted. I’m looking forward to that," Dosunmu said.Â
To me, this quote screams, I'd love to come back, but you guys are going to have to pay me.Â
As it stands, the Wolves are $14 million below the first tax apron and $27 million below the second tax apron per ESPN's Bobby Marks. To re-sign Ayo and round out the rest of their roster (they have seven free agents), going into the first tax apron is guaranteed, and they might have to go into the second apron.Â
Since the Wolves have Ayo's bird rights, they can dip into the aprons to sign him. Before free agency officially starts, Dosunmu can sign a three-year, $52.4 million extension. Ideally, the Timberwolves ink this deal with Ayo and avoid any drama. However, $17.4 million a year feels below market value for Dosunmu.Â
It's fair to expect that he could earn a contract somewhere within the $20-25 million a year range. Six teams have more than $30 million in projected cap space, meaning it's possible that a team throws a ton of money at Dosunmu. This could put the Timberwolves in a tricky spot financially.
Regardless, the Wolves need to do whatever it takes to re-sign Ayo, even if they trade for a star. We all know how bad it turned out when the Wolves opted not to re-sign a player with this valuable skill set, and Tim Connelly must rectify this mistake.
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