Ayo Dosunmu signs three-year, $21million to rejoin the Chicago Bulls after emerging as a starter last season due to Lonzo Ball’s long-term injury

The Chicago Bulls have re-signed restricted free agent shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu to a three-year, $21million contract after the 23-year-old’s emergence as a key player  for an injury-depleted franchise over the last two NBA seasons.

The Bulls announced Dosunmu’s return on Sunday after striking an agreement with his agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, on Friday, ESPN reported.

Dosunmu, who was named in the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team last season, was selected as the 38th overall pick (second round) by Chicago in the 2021 NBA Draft. 

He’s played in 157 out of a possible 164 games for the six-time NBA champions due to long-term injuries to starting guards Lonzo Ball (knee) and Alex Caruso (foot). 

Last season, the 23-year-old started 51 games, averaging 8.6 points and playing a pivotal role in the Bulls’ top-five-rated defense. 

Ayo Dosunmu, 23, & who was a restricted free agent this summer, averaged 8.6 pts last season

He limited opponents to just 44 percent shooting as the closest defender, rating himself in the top 10 among players defend at least 700, according to ESPN Stats.

Chicago ended last season under .500 with a 40-42 record and lost in the play-in tournament. 

Dosunmu’s re-signing with the franchise comes after center Andre Drummond exercised his player option to return to the team next season last month. 

The 29-year-old Drummond was in and out of the rotation last season, averaging 6 points and 6.6 rebounds after signing with the Bulls in July 2022. 

Dosunmu re-signing with the Bulls comes a month after Andre Drummond rejoined to the team

Dosunmu started 51 games last season due to the long-term absence of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball

The two-time All-Star averaged 13.2 points and 12.7 rebounds over 11 seasons with Detroit, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Chicago. 

In June, it was also revealed that the Bulls are expecting Ball to sit out for the entirety of another season in 2023-24 because of a persisting injury to his left knee.

Ball hasn’t played since January 14, 2022. He had a cartilage transplant in March, his third operation on the knee in a little more than a year. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said Ball stopped using crutches last month. 

‘Everything is going well,’ Karnisovas said last month. ‘Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season and he’s going to continue on his recovery. If he comes back, it would be great.’