Free agent guard Ayo Dosunmu plans on signing a five-year, $112 million contract to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dosunmu came to the Timberwolves in February from the Chicago Bulls. In that deal, Minnesota sent four second-round picks and former lottery pick Rob Dillingham to the Bulls. The idea behind it was to give star guard Anthony Edwards another ball handler to ease his burden. It made all the sense in the world considering the fact that Dillingham was only playing 9.3 minutes in the 35 games he appeared in, while Dosunmu was averaging 15 points per game.
Edwards and Dosunmu quickly developed chemistry. In the final 24 games of the season, Dosunmu averaged 14.4 points to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was extremly efficient, shooting 52.1% from the field, 41.4% from three, and 92.5% from the free throw line. On top of that, he only had 1.4 turnovers per game.
Dosunmu became a crucial part of the Timberwolves’ playoff run. He went nuclear against the Denver Nuggets in the first round, averaging 21.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on a staggering 61/55/95 shooting split across five games. In game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, after Donte DiVincenzo went down with a torn Achilles, Dosunmu scored 43 points off the bench. Against the San Antonio Spurs, he struggled due to a calf issue, but still finished the playoffs averaging 15.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 29.2 minutes.
This move wouldn’t have been possible without the trade that sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. The Randle trade saved Minnesota roughly $36 million, putting them well under the luxury tax and clearing the financial runway needed to re-sign Dosunmu.
Aside from giving Edwards another scoring option, this solidifies the Timberwolves core. Dosunmu is now signed through 2030-31, with a player option in 2031-32. Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are signed through 2028-29. Naz Reid is under contract through 2028-29, in addition to having a player option for the 2029-30 season. And Terrence Shannon Jr. has two more years on his deal before he’s a restricted free agent in 2028-29.
The Dosunmu–Edwards pairing showed real promise in a short sample. However, sustaining that chemistry over a full season is a different challenge. If the Timberwolves want to push deeper into the postseason, they’ll need both players operating at their best — together.
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