Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White are both entering the final year of their respective contracts. The Chicago Bulls are unlikely to re-sign both of them. As such, the front office could make a trade before the 2025-26 season.
According to K.C. Johnson, who was speaking on “670 The Score” in Chicago, Dosunmu’s name has been the one floated around in regards to trade talks.
“I have not heard Coby White’s name,” Johnson said. “That’s all I can say. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to get traded. … In my conversations with people that I talk to around the league, I’ve heard Ayo Dosunmu’s name way more than Coby White’s name…I’ve got my antenna up over which guard is going to be moved, and I can just tell you from my conversations I’ve heard Ayo’s name more than Coby’s name.”
White has been one of the Bulls’ best players in recent years. Re-signing him to a longer-term deal makes sense. Between White and Josh Giddey, the Bulls have their backcourt of the future totally set.
Therefore, Dosunmu is the most logical trade chip. At 25 years old, multiple teams will likely be intrigued by his upside and scoring ability.
Dosunmu Most Likely Bulls Player to be Traded
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale has pinpointed Ayo Dosunmu as the player the Bulls would be most likely to trade this summer.
“Ayo Dosunmu is the best bet,” Favale wrote when discussing the most likely player to be traded. “He is entering the final year of a contract on a salary that’s not large enough to realistically extend ($7.5 million), and Chicago has Josh Giddey (restricted free agent), Coby White and Lonzo Ball to populate its backcourt.”
Dosunmu played in 46 games this past season. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists, shooting 49.2% from the field and 32.8% from deep. His $7.5 million salary could be seen as a steal for a team looking to add a scoring punch off their bench without giving up significant cap space.
Bulls Have a Tough Choice to Make
During a recent discussion on the “Chicago Lead,” K.C. Johnson shared his thoughts on the future of White and Dosunmu.
“From my seat they’ve got to try to look to trade either Ayo [Dosunmu] or Coby [White],” Johnson said. “I think it will be very hard to re-sign both of them after next year when they both hit unrestricted free agency. You’ve got to get out in front of things like that…And, you’ve got to make these hard decisions, because you’re not going to be re-signing Josh Giddey this summer, and Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White after next summer. I just don’t see that.”
White has earned a pay rise and a fresh deal with the Bulls. He’s become a core part of the team’s rebuilding process. Unfortunately, that could mean that Dosunmu will find himself on the move in the near future. If not during the summer, then most likely at the trade deadline. Otherwise, the Bulls could look to play out the year and negotiate a sign-and-trade next summer. However, that is far easier said than done.
