Ayo Dosunmu just showcased exactly why Celtics traded for the wrong Bull

The Celtics were one of the most active teams at the trade deadline, but most of their moves were based on dumping salary to get under the luxury tax, a goal they were able to narrowly accomplish. But the one meaningful deal they did make, roster-wise, was flipping Anfernee Simons to the Bulls for Nikola Vucevic.

At the time, it seemed a little odd for the Cs to get rid of their only reliable bench guard and a key source of ballhandling, scoring, and shooting. But the move was quickly justified when Jayson Tatum returned and took on a lot of those responsibilities, while Vooch added a new dynamic to the thin frontcourt.

But as the playoffs go on, it’s clear that the Celtics should have targeted a different Bulls player when dangling Simons: Ayo Dosunmu. Ayo had been wasting away in Chicago and was extremely available at the deadline, eventually being traded to the Timberwolves along with Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks.

Dosunmu would be perfect third guard for Celtics

That trade is now looking like the biggest steal of the deadline, as Dosunmu has been crushing for the Wolves, and has taken over their first-round playoff series with the Nuggets, stealing the show in Game 4 with 43 points off the bench after Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards went down with injuries.

Ayo is a solid defensive player and can operate on or off the ball on offense, as he’s a reliable ballhandler who can get to the rim and has developed into an elite three-point shooter. He’d be an incredible complement to Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, and would give the Celtics and Joe Mazzulla all kinds of options and lineup versatility, which is currently lacking.

Vooch has been valuable in the frontcourt and has taken over as the leading center for Boston in recent games, but that’s less than ideal. Perhaps he’s playing slightly better than Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, but that “upgrade” is marginal at best, and having Dosunmu instead would be infinitely more valuable.

Ayo makes a lot less money than Vucevic

Dosunmu’s contract is far lower than Vooch’s, which obviously would have been ideal for the Celtics, but may have caused a snag for the Bulls, as he makes just $7.5 million in the final year of his deal, while Vucevic is earning $21.5 million.

But the Bulls had salary to spare, and were wheeling and dealing left and right. If the Celtics were willing to offer better assets, this is a deal that likely could have been made. The Cs gave the Bulls a solid 2nd in the Simons deal anyway. They have another strong 2nd from Milwaukee they could have dangled, on top of future 2nds, a late 1st this year, and any combo of picks and swaps going forward, along with a young player or two.

That may sound like a lot, but to get a player of Ayo’s caliber to add to this core would have been a massive boon, and could have turned into their next Derrick White type of trade. Ayo is just 26 years old, and the Celtics would have been able to re-sign him in the offseason. He would have been an ideal fit, but instead, he’s showing exactly what he’s capable of in Minnesota. 

Whether this was ever realistically in play or not, we may never know, but it seems evident that if the Celtics (or any other team) really wanted Dosunmu, they could have gone out and gotten him. For now, we can chalk this one up as a rare missed opportunity for Brad Stevens and company. Hopefully, it doesn’t come back to haunt them.

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