The Timberwolves found a guard solution in Ayo Dosunmu, and the deal that brought him to Minnesota in the 2026 trade deadline is only aging better.
Minnesota paid a relatively modest price for him, sending out Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks. That was the kind of move the Wolves had to make, given their need for help in the backcourt and Dosunmu’s ability to fit just about anywhere in an offense.
The fit looked strong right away, and his playoff run only reinforced that idea. Now, with the season underway, Dosunmu is making the trade look even sharper.
He has averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 51.3/38.2/80. When Anthony Edwards has been out, Dosunmu has taken on more and averaged 19.8 points over the past five games, which leads the team in that span.
That’s the part that makes him so valuable. Dosunmu isn’t just a useful connector who can spot up, move the ball, defend on the perimeter, and run the floor in transition. He’s also shown he can handle more offensive responsibility when asked.
His downhill burst is a big reason why. Dosunmu has become one of the league’s better rim finishers, using straight-line speed to get to the basket and showing he can do it against elite rim protection too. He put up 27 points against Victor Wembanyama last week, and he’s averaging 4.8 rim attempts per game, which ranks in the 96th percentile.
For Minnesota, that kind of versatility is gold. He can be a secondary piece, a primary creator when needed, or a transition weapon depending on the night. That flexibility is exactly what makes guards like this so hard to find.
The cost only makes it look better for the Wolves. The four second-round picks are close to meaningless in this context, and Dillingham and Miller were upside bets rather than established rotation pieces. Dillingham was later traded by the Bulls for Buddy Hield, while Miller has shown enough to stick in a rotation but not much more than 15-20 minutes a night.
The Bulls clearly didn’t want to pay Dosunmu, who signed a five-year, $112 million contract this summer. Minnesota, meanwhile, landed a high-level guard for a package that now looks like a steal.
Players who can scale up and down the way Dosunmu can are rare. The Wolves got one at a bargain, and every game he plays keeps driving that point home.
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Cody Williams Suddenly Faces A Tough Timberwolves Rotation Reality
Cody Williams first real look with Minnesota was brief, and it did not do much to change the picture around the rookie wing. In limited minutes against the Bucks, he was quiet offensively and the Timberwolves were outscored with him on the floor, a reminder that even a team dealing with injuries still has to sort through who can actually crack the rotation.
The more interesting part came afterward, when Minnesota kept searching for answers on the bench and still did not turn to Williams in the next stretch of games. With other reserves getting the opportunity to soak up minutes, his path has suddenly become a tougher one to read, especially with the Wolves continuing to juggle their depth and decide which young players are ready for a larger role. [Read more 🡒]