Ayo Dosunmu Is Worth Every Penny for the Timberwolves

Ayo Dosunmu was exactly what the Minnesota Timberwolves needed when they traded for him at deadline six months ago.

He was a fast-paced, highly efficient on- and off-ball scorer who breathed much-needed life into a bench group in Minnesota that ranked 23rd in total points. Dosunmu provided Finch with another relentless competitor and a scorer capable of dropping 40+ points in a playoff game.

At 6’4”, Dosunmu is a prototypical combo guard in an era of the NBA that rewards teams for having as many players like him as possible. He is the type of player that was exactly what the Timberwolves needed six months ago, the type of player they still need to accomplish their goals, and the type of player that rightfully earned the payday he got this summer.

“We think his fit is ideal,” Finch told the media in June. “What he did in a short period of time certainly proved that. We were grateful to get him.”

Earning his payday

Shortly after the Timberwolves dumped Julius Randle’s $33 million salary for the 2026-27 season in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Tim Connelly used the cap space he accrued from that move to re-sign Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million deal that will pay him $19.3 million this year.

That is roughly $4 million more than the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($15 million). A contract with an annual average near that number would have made sense for Dosunmu, but he was in a competitive market that ultimately forced the Wolves to up their offer to keep a player who was a top re-signing priority for them entering the offseason.

Despite being largely utilized off the bench since coming out of college in 2021, Dosunmu had competitive suitors this summer because he blossomed into one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers last season.

Throughout 69 games last season with the Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves, Dosunmu averaged 14.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on 51.7% from the floor (10.8 attempts) and 43.9% from deep (4.1 attempts) during 27.3 minutes per game. Dosunmu finished the year as the only player in the NBA to average more than 14 points on 50% or better from the floor and 43% or better from deep while playing in at least 12 total games.

The peak of his 2025-26 season came in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, where Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points on 13 of 17 from the floor and 5 of 5 from deep in front of a national audience.

Ayo Dosunmu Timberwolves Nuggets NBA Playoffs Career High — Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) celebrates with fans after making a three-point shot against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I am very honored,” Dosunmu said on ESPN in July regarding his contract. “I am very blessed just to be wanted. Coach Finch, the whole front office, Minnesota, they showed me nothing but love here. So I’m excited. I’m ready to get to work. I’m ready to help try to win the championship and do whatever it takes to help win. That's my main goal: win.”

Filling a necessary role with the new-look roster

After the Timberwolves looped Naz Reid into the Randle salary dump to acquire LaMelo Ball, there is reason for fans to be critical of the Dosunmu contract.

When the Wolves re-signed him, Ball was not available for trade, and the Wolves needed all the guard help they could get/retain after lacking ball handling alongside Edwards last season. But things changed quickly a few days after Dosunmu’s new contract, when Charlotte began listening to offers for Ball.

Suddenly, the Wolves have over $109 million tied between three guards in Ball, Dosunmu and Edwards this season. They possess no natural power forward on the roster aside from Trey Lyles and Trey Kaufman-Renn, and minimal size to protect the rim outside of Rudy Gobert and Joan Beringer.

In a Western Conference that features frontcourt threats such as Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartienstien, Nikola Jokic, Alperen Şengün and Victor Wembanyama, Minnesota’s lack of size is concerning and may be a problem it has to seriously address by trading key pieces at some point this season.

At the same time, we have seen the importance of deep guard play in the postseason recently. The San Antonio Spurs—while Wembanyama is a superhuman anomaly—rode fast, scrappy and consistent production from guards De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper to an NBA Finals appearance.

On that run, the Spurs knocked off the Wolves in the second round, thanks in large part to how those four guards operated offensively and how they were able to eradicate Edwards defensively with blitzes and double teams. Meanwhile, Minnesota found some of its most reliable success against the Spurs when it went small, prioritizing space and pace at the expense of Rudy Gobert’s minutes.

Anthony Edwards Ayo Dosunmu Timberwolves NBA — Feb 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) celebrate against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After bringing in Ball and re-signing Dosunmu, the Wolves have fortified a guard room that will not only get the best out of Edwards, but also promote the style of basketball that appears crucial to getting out of the West.

Dosunmu is a vital part of that goal. He gives Finch some optionality of where to deploy him offensively. Perhaps Finch starts Dosunmu alongside Edwards and Ball. Offensively, that would work because of how well Dosunmu can space the floor off-ball. Defensively, that would likely mean Jaden McDaniels slots in at power forward, which Finch has been on record saying he does not want to do.

If that is true, then Finch could start Josh Green, Terrence Shannon Jr. or Jaylen Clark to give his starting lineup some bigger defense. And in that situation, Dosunmu would likely slide back to the bench.

The optics of that wouldn’t be great, sure. Dosunmu just became the third most expensive player on Minnesota’s roster over the next five years for a team hard-pressed for cap space, and he is going to come off the bench? Regardless of how that move might look and the reaction it could spur amongst fans, Dosunmu would fit equally as well off the bench as he would with the starters.

Dosunmu could fill in for the scoring punch Reid’s absence leaves behind while leading a fast-paced bench group around Bones Hyland and Joan Beringer, who both thrive in that type of environment.

But regardless of how Finch ultimately deploys Dosunmu, he will fit with whatever group he needs to. He can score and assist with the ball in his hands off the bench, a great candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year award if he stays in that role. Dosunmu is also one of the NBA’s most efficient catch-and-shoot threats last season, which would fit perfectly alongside the gravity between Ball and Edwards.

Players with that level of optionality—combined with the scoring prowess to lead a team in points in a playoff game and a high level of passion defensively—are worth high-end money in today’s NBA. Dosunmu's extension may have had some fans scratching their heads after the Ball trade, because the Wolves are loaded at guard with a glaring need for more size.

We will see how big of an issue that ends up being. But for now, Dosunmu remains the same type of player he was when he arrived in Minnesota: a crucial part of what the Wolves are building.

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