During the offseason, there was speculation that the Chicago Bulls were seriously considering trading guard Ayo Dosunmu. On Wednesday, those rumors were confirmed by Hoops Hype and NBC Sports Chicago writer K.C Johnson, per Stacey King's Gimme The Hot Sauce pod.
Essentially, he stated that the Bulls were working diligently to finalize a deal. However, he emphasized that they value Dosunmu's presence and that of Coby White as their model players, even while speculation swirled of trading both of them.
“I know for a fact that the Bulls were involved in some pretty advanced trade talks with Ayo (Dosunmu) this past offseason, that they couldn’t finalize,” Johnson said. “So—they’re thinking this. Whether or not they can get the right deal remains to be seen. And I should preface—or emphasize—in all this: The Bulls love both Ayo and Coby. Like—love them. They fit exactly what they’re trying to do.”
With the season approaching, the Bulls are in quite a predicament. They are beginning the 2025-2026 season with a handful of players whose contracts are set to expire at season's end. Among those are Dosunmu and White.
The unique position the Bulls will be in after this season
After this season, the Bulls will have eight open roster spots. Meaning, they will be a position to trade veteran players with expiring contracts, save money under the cap, and sign top free agents. All in an effort to rebuild for the long term.
The recent signing of Josh Giddey to a $100 million contract extension presents two realities. One is that they obviously want to build the team around Giddey. The other is that it would be challenging to keep Dosunmu and White, given the money it took to keep Giddey.
However, the Bulls seem more inclined to keep Dosunmu for the time being. In fact, they rejected an offer for a trade with the Lakers for highly touted prospect Dalton Knecht.
Essentially, Dosunmu will have to prove his value to other teams if he can perform this season. Especially since he is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery. He finished the year averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
