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With the Chicago Bulls signing Josh Giddey to a new deal, there are now questions regarding the futures of several Bulls players. For starters, one of the biggest questions revolves around Coby White, who will enter next season on the final year of his contract. Another player whose future is unknown is fellow guard Ayo Dosunmu.

Dosunmu signed a three-year, $21 million contract in the summer of 2023, making just $7 million per season. Over the first two years of his deal, Ayo has averaged 12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on shooting splits of over 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from the beyond the arc.

While Dosunmu played most of the 2023-24 season, he would appear in 46 games this past season, as he missed a chunk of the latter part of the year due to a shoulder injury. With the Bulls focusing on 2026 free agency and the backcourt lacking expendable minutes, it may be best for the Bulls to part ways with the young guard.

Bulls trading Ayo Dosunmu would ultimately be worth it

In a trade pitched by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, the Bulls would receive Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2028 first-round swap with the Denver Nuggets. Denver would receive Dosunmu from the Bulls and Justin Champagnie from the Washington Wizards, while the Wizards receive a 2032 second-round pick from Denver.

With the Bulls shifting their focus to wing players, Nnaji fits the type of player Arturas Karnisovas, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, is looking for. Another member of the same 2020 draft class that included Patrick Williams and Isaac Okoro, Nnaji was the 22nd pick.

In 57 games with the Nuggets last season, Nnaji averaged 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. While he has received a lot of playing time with Denver, he would likely get more time in Chicago, considering the future of the frontcourt is in flux. With Nikola Vucevic likely being traded at the trade deadline or leaving for a contender next summer, significant playing time will soon open up. With Nnaji entering the second year of his four-year, $32 million deal, he is set to make $8.1 million next season and $7.4 million each of the following two seasons.

The second player coming back from Denver, Peyton Watson has shown promise early in his career. In his third year in the league, Watson averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on splits of 47.7 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three in under 25 minutes per game. Set to be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026, the 2025-26 season would allow the Bulls to either build Watson’s value for a quick flip at the deadline or test if he could be a part of the team’s future.

For the Nuggets, the addition of Ayo Dosunmu would bolster a franchise that enjoyed one of the better offseasons. With additions including Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Bruce Brown, Dosunmu would be a great addition coming off the bench. The Nuggets were just one game away from the Western Conference Finals and having one of, if not the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, Denver is a legitimate threat to come out of the vaunted West. While Ayo would likely be a rental for the Nuggets, he is a player who could pop off for a career night at any point and be an x-factor in the playoffs.

It would be a tough decision for the Bulls to move on from Dosunmu, but his role is limited, and he is likely to be worth more than Chicago would be willing to pay for next summer. It would be best for the Bulls to move on from the young guard, as numerous contenders are looking for a player of Dosunmu’s caliber for the money he’s currently making.