NBA free agency starts Monday, June 30, and this is when teams start really forming their rosters for the 2025-26 season.
One team that is ready to make some moves is the Chicago Bulls. On Saturday, KC Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network reported that the Bulls have had trade talks about former Illini Ayo Dosunmu.
Shipping out Dosunmu would be sad because he is a hometown kid who could help Chicago. But if they don’t want him anymore, it would be nice to see Dosunmu go to a good franchise looking to win.
I put together a few of the best destinations for Dosunmu. I didn’t take into account the salary cap or aprons, but this is just based on roster and need.
Here are three prime landing spots if the Chicago Bulls trade Ayo Dosunmu
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are ready to win now, and a problem they have is that they don’t have much depth, especially in the backcourt.
Fred VanVleet is back with Houston, as he is the lead guard on the team. But in the past couple of weeks, the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant and sent guard Jalen Green and wing Dillon Brooks to the Suns.
Durant isn’t playing the No. 2, so that leaves the development of someone like Reed Sheppard being paramount. There aren’t any other options, especially depth-wise, for the Rockets. Both draft picks were traded away, too.
Houston wouldn’t have to give up a lot for Dosunmu. They have a nice team ready to win, but they need more depth. At over 12 points per game, Dosunmu can provide that depth and help the Rockets get to the NBA Finals in 2026.
Dallas Mavericks
2024-25 was a weird year for the Dallas Mavericks. They traded away arguably the best player in the NBA. The Mavericks then won the NBA Draft Lottery and selected Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall.
A part of the injuries was Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL. He won’t be back until, at the earliest, January or February of 2026. That leaves a massive point guard void on the team.
Klay Thompson has the No. 2 spot locked up. The other guard on the team, Spencer Dinwiddie, is a free agent and seems to be heading elsewhere. The other guards on the team are average to below average.
Dosunmu could help the Mavericks greatly. They have a building team, and now they have the centerpiece to build around in Flagg. With no point guard in tow, Dosunmu could come in and bring his 4.5 assists per game, which would be second on the team from last season, next to Irving’s 4.6 assists.
A fun thought, too, would be seeing Dosunmu tossing lobs to big man Anthony Davis, who is now healthy and ready to make an impact. Dosunmu and Davis are both from Chicago. This would be a cool Chicago one-two punch in the NBA.
Milwaukee Bucks
There is potential for the Bucks to clean house and start over by trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it feels like they will keep him at the end of the day. That means there is stability with the franchise.
One of the problems with the Bucks is that they don’t have guard depth. While trading within the division doesn’t seem smart, I think Milwaukee would be a great landing spot for Dosunmu.
Dame Lillard is the lead guard with the Bucks. He is under contract for a couple of years. Beyond Lillard, there is zero depth for the Bucks. Dosunmu’s 4.5 assists per game would be third on the team behind Giannis and Lillard.
Dosunmu could be a nice, inexpensive, piece for Milwaukee to put around Giannis. He would also help buoy the backcourt on a team that still made the playoffs last season.
I would also like to see Dosunmu stay close to home. He already plays for his hometown team. Milwaukee isn’t too far from Chicago, so that would be good for him and his family. Regardless, he would help the Bucks tremendously from the jump.