The Minnesota Timberwolves’ decision to bring back Ayo Dosunmu on a five-year, $112 million deal in late June drew plenty of heat, but the case for it is pretty straightforward: players who can do a little of everything are hard to replace, and even harder to find when you’re trying to win big.
There were two very different reactions to the contract. Some saw a perfect fit getting paid like one.
Others looked at the number and saw an overpay for a player who isn’t a true lead guard and could have been a different use of cap space. Then the Wolves went and traded for LaMelo Ball shortly after, which made Dosunmu’s place in the pecking order look a little less obvious on the surface.
But that surface read misses what Dosunmu actually brings. He can pressure the rim, defend on the perimeter, knock down spot-up looks, handle the ball, and connect the offense as a playmaker. That kind of versatility fits cleanly next to Anthony Edwards and Ball, and it also gives Minnesota a player who can take on more if the moment demands it - something he already showed with that 43-point playoff game.
That’s why paying $22.4 million per year for him doesn’t feel crazy. It feels like the going rate for a valuable archetype.
His salary will be $19.3 million next season, and as that number rises, so will the cap. At 26, he also lines up well with the Wolves’ core for the long haul.
The idea that Dosunmu becomes less useful just because Ball is in the picture is shaky, too. In a conference with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder - both elite teams that bring a high-pressure defensive style - extra ball-handling isn’t a luxury.
It’s a necessity. If Dosunmu starts, Minnesota could roll out three quality ball-handlers in the opening group, and even if he doesn’t, he’s still the kind of player who should close plenty of nights.
That’s the bigger point here. Championship teams keep finding room for players in this mold.
Josh Hart, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday are all recent examples of well-rounded contributors who help winning teams in a lot of different ways. Dosunmu isn’t a direct match for any of them, but he belongs in that conversation as a complementary piece who can affect the game across the board.
The other criticism of the deal is the obvious one: who exactly was Minnesota bidding against?
That’s a fair question. Still, there were real possibilities.
The Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James out of the fold, had plenty of cap space and could have made a run. The Detroit Pistons could have been another team to watch.
So while the market may not have been overflowing with suitors, it wasn’t empty either.
And if the choice is paying a little extra to keep a player you value or letting him get away, the safer bet is usually the one that keeps him in your building.
Basketball Reference has Dosunmu projected as the 104th highest-paid player in the league, which undersells what he actually provides. If anything, the contract could end up looking like a bargain.
The Timberwolves have more upside than ever this season, and Dosunmu can be a key piece of that push. If that happens, the noise around his deal will fade fast.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Solved One Problem And Created A Bigger One
LaMelo Ball and Josh Green have changed the Timberwolves look in a hurry, giving Minnesota a real upgrade at point guard after the roster-shaping trades that sent Naz Reid, Julius Randle and draft capital out the door. It is the kind of move that can make a team feel more dynamic overnight, and for a club trying to stay in the Western Conference mix, the appeal is obvious.
The catch is that the Wolves did not just solve one problem, they also thinned out a frontcourt that already needed attention and pushed the front office into a tighter financial corner. Tim Connelly has already acknowledged the need for creativity at power forward, and Minnesota still has work to do just to get to a 14-man roster while staying close to the second apron, so the next move may say as much about the teams flexibility as the first one did about its ambition. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves May Be Running Out Of Time With This Core
The Timberwolves have spent the last few seasons building around a young core that looks good on paper and, at least for now, is locked in through 2029. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels give Minnesota the kind of talent base most teams would love to protect, but the problem is the price tag that comes with keeping a contender intact in the NBAs new financial climate.
The second tax apron has a way of turning long-term optimism into immediate roster math, and Minnesota is headed toward those same decisions. Edwards is likely to wait until next summer for his supermax, Balls next deal should land well north of $40 million a year, and McDaniels is also in line for a major payday, which means the Wolves may have only a narrow window to keep this group together before the pressure starts forcing harder choices about who stays and how much flexibility remains. [Read more 🡒]