“He’s gonna outplay that contract” – Ayo Dosunmu re-signing with Chicago Bulls for 3-years $21 million has NBA fans buzzing
Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the team this week according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The longtime NBA insider broke the news, which was relayed by Dosunmu's agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management.
The news came amid an interesting offseason for the Chicago Bulls, with the team seemingly at a crossroads regarding how the next few years will go. As the front office duo of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have indicated, they want to try and build continuity with the existing group.
As such, the team seems eager to continue to bring Ayo Dosunmu off the bench as a spark plug for the team's second unit.
After the news made its way around social media, fans were quick to react to the three-year, $21 million deal.
Restricted free agent G Ayo Dosunmu has agreed on a three-year, $21 million deal to stay with the Chicago Bulls, agent Mike Lindeman of @excelbasketball tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/whY8tifPLA
@wojespn @excelbasketball Damn, only 7 mill. He’s gonna outplay that contract.
@wojespn @excelbasketball pic.twitter.com/cDjBxjjRdR
@wojespn @excelbasketball Still haven’t figured out what the Bulls are doing
@wojespn @excelbasketball Let’s go we have young guys to develop!!
@wojespn @excelbasketball They have like 5 point guards
@wojespn @excelbasketball Shoulda been a Raptor
@wojespn @excelbasketball Good deal for both parties
@wojespn @excelbasketball W
@wojespn @excelbasketball Steal
@wojespn @excelbasketball Bargain contract for him. Really big fan of Ayo and confused why his market hasn’t been larger
Ayo Dosunmu's development with the Chicago Bulls
After being drafted as the No. 38 pick in 2021 by the Chicago Bulls, Ayo Dosunmu quickly found himself in a starting role as a rookie. With Lonzo Ball experiencing repeated injuries, coach Billy Donovan looked to Dosunmu as a starter.
As a rookie, he delivered, proving himself to be a two-way spark plug that could impact the game on both ends of the floor. While his play was understandably rough around the edges, he showed flashes of brilliance that gave Bulls fans hope.
Now, heading into his third year in the NBA, Dosunmu seems poised to pick up where he left off last season, coming off the bench as a key role player. With that being said, it's hard to ignore the logjam of guards the Bulls currently have on the roster.
Between Alex Caruso, recently signed Jevon Carter, and the re-signings of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, Billy Donovan may struggle to find a good balance. At various points throughout last season, both Dosunmu and Caruso started games. However, with the addition of Jevon Carter, many have predicted he will start.
If that ends up being the case, it would be expected that Caruso and White would come off the bench as guards, leaving Dosunmu as the odd man out. If Caruso winds up starting, as he did for 36 games last season, then Dosunmu, Carter, and White will all be looking to split minutes.
With plenty of speculation as to how this season will play out, only time will tell how things go for the Chicago Bulls.