The 2025 NBA Draft just concluded, but that doesn’t mean the transactions stop, as the NBA season never ends.
The Illini had a good night, as both Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley were picked No. 20 by the Miami Heat and No. 21 by the Washington Wizards in the draft, respectively. They are now heading to The Association to try to make their way through the NBA waters.
Another in-state team, the Chicago Bulls, had a good night, too. They drafted Noa Essengue No. 12 overall and then traded their pick No. 45, Roccos Zikarsky. The Bulls also got back in a trade Lachlan Olbrich, the No. 55 pick.
Now that we are post-draft, the Bulls are trying to mold their roster into what they want for the 2025-26 season. What that means is there could be players on the chopping block. On Saturday afternoon, we got reports that a former Illini could be one of those players.
According to KC Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network, Ayo Dosunmu could be the subject of a trade.
“Bull remain active in the trade market. FWIW, I’ve heard more chatter surrounding Ayo Dosunmu than Coby White.”
Bulls remain active in trade market. FWIW, I’ve heard more chatter surrounding Ayo Dosunmu than Coby White. https://t.co/cvyvnF74Dv
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 28, 2025
A second-round pick in 2021, Dosunmu has been everything a franchise would want with that late of a pick. He continues to improve on the court, averaging a career-high 12.3 points per game this past season, in addition to 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and only 1.5 turnovers per contest.
Getting rid of Ayo Dosunmu doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Chicago Bulls
I understand that a lot of NBA transactions are based on money, especially this time of year. But with Chicago, they are nowhere near the first apron, so there is no reason to dump salaries.
Dosunmu is a good rotational guard who can help the Bulls. On top of that, Chicago has an extremely thin backcourt.
The only reason I could see the Bulls trading Dosunmu is due to his expiring contract after the 2025-26 season. Either they can’t get an extension done, or other NBA teams want to dump bad contracts and are looking for an expiring contract in a deal.
No matter what happens, Dosunmu is going to be able to help wherever he plays in 2025-26. He is a good player who is going to be an asset to a franchise.