Timberwolves Trade for Bulls Guard Ayo Dosunmu

For better or for worse, it seems as though the Minnesota Timberwolves have pivoted their focus from the Giannis Antetokuonmpo sweepstakes and filled an immediate need.

Tim Connelly and company have struck a deal with the Chicago Bulls to bring in Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second round picks.

A crafty scoring guard that fills a desperate need on Chris Finch’s bench, Dosunmu is averaging 15 points on 51% shooting and 45% from three. He gets to the basketball effectively and collapses defenses, which is something the Wolves desperately need. In last year’s playoffs, Anthony Edwards seemed to be the only player on the team able to do so, causing coach Chris Finch to turn to Dosunmu’s fellow Illinois basketball alum in Terrence Shannon Jr. to try and help Edwards out there.

Another important piece of the trade, and Bobby Marks explains, is getting Dosunmu’s bird rights heading into free agency this offseason. Without them, it would have been extremely difficult to re-sign him.

Outside of the Giannis chatter that had been so persistent and was clearly impacting the team on the floor, the Wolves had a glaring hole on the bench for scoring and making a move at the deadline was a must in order to keep its status as a contender.

This also signals a move off of the Rob Dillingham experiment, and allows the former top-10 pick of the Wolves to go to a team where he will get more playing time and more offensive leash.

Dillingham shined in moments during his rookie season, but a clear regression this year and failure to crack the rotation in the minutes he was given signaled that an exit might be imminent.

Also included in the trade is former second round pick Leonard Miller. A promising athlete coming from G League Ignite, Miller too was unable to crack the rotation in his three years in Minnesota. Perhaps a change of scenery more minutes will do both players well on their way out.

Here’s a look at the current roster situation as it stands:

Dosunmu’s first opportunity to make his Timberwolves debut will be Friday night at Target Center against the New Orleans Pelicans.