MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Milwaukee Bucks could potentially look to bolster their defensive backcourt to address Damian Lillard’s defensive deficiencies while giving him a much-needed offensive boost off the bench.
This could be a move on the trade market for one of the league’s most underrated young guards who quietly finished strong in the second half of last season.
In a recent article, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report floated a hypothetical trade that would send Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Males receive: Ayo Dosunmu
Bulls receive: Pat Connaughton and a first-round trade in 2031
For the Bulls, betting against the 2031 version of a wildly expensive, second-round-limited Bucks team is simply a bargain.
Dosunmu would be an upgrade over Pat Connaughton in the rotation, could replace Damian Lillard at point guard and brings far more youth and athleticism than anyone likely to see the floor regularly in Milwaukee unless Andre Jackson Jr. works his way into more playing time.– Grant Hughes, Bleacher Report
Last season, Dosunmu had a breakout sophomore season, averaging a career-high 12.2 points on 9.5 field goal attempts per game. Known primarily as an athletic guard who is a solid on-ball defender, Dosunmo finished the year shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range, which was his best percentage from beyond the arc in his three-year NBA career.
More importantly, Dosunmo exploded in the second half, setting a new career high in points per game. The 1.93-meter point guard has exploded over the last 38 games, scoring 16.3 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting, 43.5 percent from three-point range and 83.5 percent from the line.
That nearly half-season sample size shouldn’t be taken lightly. As Dosunmo prepares for his fourth season, it’s clear enough that the former Illinois star should at least continue to do the same in 2024-25.
Knowing that there is a strong possibility that Dosumnu could build on a strong performance from last season, the 2021 NBA draft second-round pick will be looking for a big payday when he becomes a free agent after the 2025-26 season. Hence, this is why the report suggests that Chicago could toy with the idea of trading him now instead of losing him to free agency later.
If this opportunity presents itself to Bucks general manager Jon Horst, it’s something he should definitely consider carefully.
