A surprise multi-team Chicago Bulls trade pitch by an NBA expert would see the team part ways with a fan favorite star.
Would the juice be worth the squeeze?
For the third-biggest market in the country, Chicago has been shockingly irrelevant since trading away future Hall of Fame small forward Jimmy Butler in his absolute prime. The Bulls have made just one playoff appearance in the eight ensuing seasons.
Chicago’s new regime has led to… the same old story
During their past three seasons under team president Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, the Bulls have been perpetual play-in tournament squads: decent enough in the Eastern Conference to finish between the Nos. 7-10 seeds, but too bad to actually advance to the playoffs proper.
Butler’s Miami Heat handed the Bulls a pair of play-in defeats in 2023 and ’24.
One of the young players to truly make an impression on Bulls fans is Chicago native Ayo Dosunmu, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of the University of Illinois.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposes a three-team blockbuster deal with the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards that would finally send Dosunmu to a contender, while bringing Chicago some draft equity.
Bulls Receive: Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, 2026 second-round pick (least favorable of Dallas, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia, via Washington), 2028 first-round swap (top-10 protection, via Denver)
Nuggets Receive: Ayo Dosunmu, Justin Champagnie
Wizards Receive: 2032 second-round pick (via Denver)
A 6-foot-9 big man out of Arizona, Nnaji has been something of a bust on a championship hopeful that could definitely have used him. He’d be a pricey addition relative to his on-court value, but Chicago isn’t exactly trying to contend any time soon.
“Stomaching the three years and $23.2 million remaining on Nnaji’s deal is a tall order. However, it’s also not the back-busting task many make it out to be,” Favale writes. “Nnaji tops out at 5.3 percent of the salary cap, and Chicago could have rotation minutes for him to play depending on its plans for the expiring contracts of Zach Collins and Nikola Vucevic.”
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Watson, an athletic guard out of UCLA, has shown more intriguing flashes than Nnaji. During his third pro season with Denver in 2024-25, the 22-year-old averaged 8.1 points on .477/.353/.693 shooting splits, 3.4 boards, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.7 steals a night.
“Getting a flier [on] Watson is worth the financial trouble. He could be their perimeter-defensive anchor of the future and more on-ball offense to plumb. Having to pay him next summer adds a wrinkle to the equation, but the Bulls are seeing firsthand with Josh Giddey how restricted free agency favors incumbent teams.”
Favale observes that Dosunmu seems to be on his way out of town anyway, given Chicago’s apparent interest in retaining restricted free agent Giddey this offseason and possibly holding onto starting shooting guard Coby White in 2026.
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