Ayo Dosunmu has turned the Timberwolves’ short-handed stretch into something much more interesting than a survival exercise.
Without Anthony Edwards, Dosunmu has been rolling. Over the last seven games, he’s put up 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4 assists a night while shooting 53.3/47.2/95.7. He’s been a big reason Minnesota is 5-2 in Edwards’ absence, and that surge has sparked a familiar deadline conversation online: should the Wolves cash in now while his value is soaring?
There’s at least some logic behind the debate. Minnesota’s guard room is crowded, especially once Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo are back, while the frontcourt is thinner.
Re-signing Jonathan Kuminga is also tricky because the Wolves don’t have his Bird Rights, so the team could be looking at ways to open cap space, recover draft capital, or find a replacement for Kuminga. And yes, Dosunmu’s trade value is probably as high as it’s ever been.
But that doesn’t mean moving him makes sense.
The biggest reason to hold is simple: the Timberwolves still haven’t really seen this group at full strength. Edwards has only played four games with this new roster, and Jon Krawczynski reported that the belief is his injury will take more than two months to recover from, which points to a return sometime in January. Trading Dosunmu now would shrink the sample even further before Minnesota gets a real look at what this team can be.
That matters because the Wolves are not some fringe playoff outfit trying to scrape together a plan. They have the star power, depth and versatility to make a serious run. A top-six player like Dosunmu is not the kind of piece you move before you’ve seen how the whole thing looks in the playoffs.
The timing question also cuts against a deadline deal. If the idea is to flip Dosunmu for a power forward, why not wait and see what happens with Kuminga first?
If Minnesota stays healthy, the frontcourt is fine for now. If Kuminga leaves in the offseason, then the conversation changes.
At that point, trading Dosunmu for the right forward would make more sense, even if it still wouldn’t be an easy call.
And there’s the money side, which makes this even harder to pull off cleanly. Dosunmu is on a deal worth $19.3 million this season and $20.8 million next season.
The Timberwolves are already close to the second apron, so finding a forward in that salary range who actually fits is no small task. In practice, a trade like that probably wouldn’t even qualify as a true sell-high move.
The idea of using him to make room for Kuminga sounds neat on paper, but it runs into the same problem: Minnesota not having Kuminga’s Bird Rights could still block a re-signing even if Dosunmu is moved.
What gets lost in the trade chatter is how well Dosunmu fits this roster. The Wolves may have plenty of guards, but that doesn’t automatically make one of them expendable. Teams can and do succeed with three-guard lineups, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the clearest example of that approach.
Dosunmu brings spot-up shooting, transition scoring, connective playmaking and strong perimeter defense. That’s a clean fit next to Minnesota’s stars.
He’s also proving he can handle a bigger load when asked, which is a valuable trait when injuries hit or a scorer goes cold. Having that kind of insurance matters.
That’s the real case for keeping him: he can blend in when needed and take over when the situation demands it. That’s not a luxury every team gets, and it’s not one the Timberwolves should be eager to give away at the deadline.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Defense Is Forcing A Bigger Conversation About Their Ceiling
The early shape of Minnesotas season has been defined by a defense that has given opponents very little room to breathe. Even with Anthony Edwards missing several games, the Timberwolves have built an 8-3 start on the back of a unit that has consistently bothered ballhandlers, closed off clean looks from deep and made every possession feel like a grind.
What makes it more interesting is that this is no longer just about surviving while the offense finds its footing. The Wolves have been good enough on that end to force a bigger conversation about how high their ceiling can go if the defensive standard holds, especially once the roster is whole and the attack catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Ayo Dosunmu Explained Whats Fueling His Timberwolves Surge
Ayo Dosunmu has settled into a much bigger role since Anthony Edwards went down with a knee injury, and the early returns have been hard to miss. The guard has brought a sharper scoring punch to the starting lineup, while also giving Minnesota a steadier decision-making presence. Over the last stretch, his shot-making has been efficient enough to stand out even in a rotation that has had to adjust on the fly.
Chris Finch and Dosunmu both pointed to the same broader theme behind the uptick: the way the offense is opening up around him. With Rudy Gobert setting strong screens and helping create cleaner looks at the rim, Dosunmu has found more room to operate and more chances to attack in rhythm. For a Timberwolves team trying to keep its footing through an injury-driven shuffle, that kind of fit matters, even if the full picture of how long it lasts is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Make A Frontcourt Move With Anthony Edwards Still Out
With Anthony Edwards still sidelined by a knee injury, the Timberwolves have added some frontcourt depth as they try to keep their strong start rolling. Minnesota brought in Johni Broome on a two-way deal, a move that gives the club another developmental big while it waits for one of its top scorers to return.
Broome arrives with some recent NBA experience after spending time with the 76ers and Clippers, and he was the 35th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. For a Wolves team trying to hold steady through Edwards absence, the addition is a low-risk way to shore up the roster and see whether Broome can carve out a role while the lineup is in flux. [Read more 🡒]