The Chicago Bulls, who just paid Josh Giddey and will have to make a decision on Coby White’s future, would be better off trading fellow guard Ayo Dosunmu this season rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

Giddey isn’t going anywhere after signing a four-year, $100 million contract earlier this month. He’s entrenched as the Bulls’ starting point guard through 2029. White and Dosunmu’s fates are up in the air, however, as both are set to be unrestricted free agents next summer. Chicago re-signed Tre Jones to be Giddey’s backup and the organization expects a big jump from 23-year-old Dalen Terry.

Kevin Huerter became a regular contributor by the end of last season after arriving in the Zach LaVine trade. He’s also on an expiring deal but played a major role in the Bulls’ late-season surge. Someone has to be the odd man out, and Dosunmu makes the most sense.

Bulls have an easy choice to make with Ayo Dosunmu

There’s already trade speculation surrounding White, given his contract status and growth last year after LaVine was moved to Sacramento. The 25-year-old averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game last season; in the 31 games after LaVine was traded, he averaged 23.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists with shooting splits of 48/38/92. He was tied for ninth in the league in scoring in March when he averaged 27.7 points.

Granted, he would bring Chicago back the largest haul of anyone on the roster not named Matas Buzelis in any deal, but the former North Carolina star just proved why he’s a crucial part of the Bulls’ rebuild.

Assuming White stays in the Windy City on a deal worth $30 million annually, between him and Giddey, Chicago would be paying two guards $55 million a year. With Jones’ salary included, that number bumps up to $63 million. That trio would take up a good chunk of the backcourt minutes head coach Billy Donovan has to dole out, which leaves Dosunmu in a precarious spot.

Before his 2024-25 campaign ended early with a shoulder injury, Dosunmu was having a breakout year offensively. His averages of 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists were all career highs, and he remained the team’s best perimeter defender.

But from the last game the team played with Dosunmu on Feb. 28 through the end of the season (22 games), the Bulls proved they could succeed without him. During that stretch, Chicago won 15 games and lost 7, good for the seventh-best winning percentage in the NBA. Its net rating of 4.4 ranked 10th, better than the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Assuming the franchise elects to pay White, more than $60 million will be tied up among three backcourt players. The Bulls are projected to have the most cap space of any team in the league next offseason, but it still doesn’t make sense to pay a fourth guard what Dosunmu will presumably make if he plays like he did last year and stays healthy. They’d be much better off spending those resources elsewhere.