Arturas Karnisovas wasn’t bluffing after all.
The Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations insisted at the end of the 2022-23 campaign that atop his roster to-do list was to keep his young backcourt depth intact.
That meant making sure restricted free agents Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu were still wearing red and white by summer’s end.
White was inked quickly when free agency began on July 1, signing a three-year deal that could get up to $40 million, and a source confirmed a report on Friday that Dosunmu finally got his pay day, signing a three-year, $21 million deal.
Yes, the move added another piece to the logjam at guard that the Bulls currently have, but also shows just how bleak the team feels Lonzo Ball’s future remained.
If the Bulls felt Ball would be back by the 2024-25 season after three left knee surgeries, Dosunmu would have been somewhat expendable. With Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, White, Dalen Terry, and the addition of Jevon Carter, Dosunmu gives coach Billy Donovan six guards to shuffle between the starting lineup and the rotation.
Ball would be seven if no move was made.
Not that Dosunmu was about to complain. The former Morgan Park standout has always embraced the idea of playing NBA ball in his own backyard growing up, after the Bulls made him a second-round pick (38th overall) back in the 2021 draft.
In 157 games played for the Bulls – 91 starts – Dosunmu has averaged 8.7 points, 2.9 assists, and shot 50.6% from the field.