Report: Bulls Will Be Holding Onto 5th Year Player After All

After his name was frequently mentioned in trade talks this summer, Ayo Dosunmu will reportedly be staying with the Chicago Bulls. 

Despite a decorated college career at Illinois, Ayo Dosunmu lasted until the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, where he was snapped up by the Bulls with the 38th overall selection.

Dosunmu has been an important contributor in Chicago ever since his first season, when he was named to the NBA's All-Rookie second team. 

The guard was limited to 46 games in 2024-2025, starting 26 of them. Dosunmu notched a new career high in scoring with 12.3 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

In a video posted to YouTube, K.C. Johnson noted that while he had earlier reported that Dosunmu was on the trading block, that was no longer the case: 

"I can now tell you that chatter has largely died down, at least as of late July, and I do expect Dosunmu to be back in a Bulls uniform for next season. The Bulls did have substantive talks—I'm told—with a Western Conference playoff team earlier this offseason regarding Dosunmu, but the two teams could not find common ground on a trade package. All signs for now point to Ayo returning."

The Bulls have looked to mix up their roster this offseason, but the only trade they made was moving Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro. Dosunmu looks likely to play a big role for the team this year as the Bulls chase a playoff berth.