Throughout the offseason, we’ve seen a ton of different trade ideas for the Los Angeles Lakers aimed at helping them build a contending roster. Many of those trade ideas are centered around the Lakers trading away Dalton Knecht or adding another player to their frontcourt. The trade idea we’ll be looking at today checks one of these boxes. Below, we’ll be looking at a mock trade from Arkay of TWSN, who believes the Lakers will trade for Ayo Dosunmu.
Arkay explains, “The Lakers would strengthen their backcourt by adding a tough, low-usage guard who defends and competes on every possession…The Bulls, meanwhile, would take a low-risk shot on a wing who can shoot and still has room to grow. Both teams get what they need without messing up their cap sheet or long-term flexibility.
It’s not extremely often that we see a straight swap, but Arkay pitches a strong argument for the idea. Let’s break down the mock trade below and determine if this deal would make sense for both sides.
Chicago Bulls Trading Ayo Dosunmu to the Los Angeles Lakers
The article includes an extremely straightforward mock trade of a Dosunmu and Knecht straight swap.
Dosunmu has now spent four years in the NBA, and he’s now 25 years old. Most fans love Dosunmu as the Chicago Bulls guard spent his college days at the University of Illinois.
However, Knecht has a ton of upside, and his value is being brought down by an underwhelming Summer League performance. Although the Lakers may want a bit more value for Knecht, this package doesn’t seem extremely far off.
Does Ayo Dosunmu Fit in Los Angeles?
Even before the Lakers solidified their backcourt depth by adding Marcus Smart, this proposed trade doesn’t seem like the best use of Knecht’s value. It seems much more advantageous to package Knecht with other pieces to allow the Lakers to upgrade their frontcourt.
Rui Hachimura, as the team’s starting power forward, is a small worry, and there are still concerns at the center position.
Los Angeles Lakers 2025-2026 Outlook
With all of that being said, none of this is to say that a Knecht for Dosunmu wouldn’t help the Lakers at all. In fact, if Dosunmu continues to slightly improve, this could be a great fit with the Lakers. The main problem is that the Lakers aren’t in a spot where they should be focused on just making small upgrades.
If you look at FanDuel’s NBA Finals odds, the Lakers are at +1500, while teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder are at +210, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are at +650. With that being the case, the Lakers need to make a splash move before the playoffs start. With Knecht being arguably one of their best trade assets, they should just hold onto him for now.
Ayo Dosunmu Stats
Dosunmu took a leap in terms of his stats during the 2023-2024 season, where he had 12.2 PPG, 3.2 AST, 2.8 REB, 0.9 STL in 29.1 PPG. Most recently, Dosunmu had a similar season with 12.3 PPG, 4.5 AST, 3.5 REB, and 0.9 STL in 30.3 MPG.
Again, this is just a trade prediction about the Chicago Bulls trading Ayo Dosunmu to the Los Angeles Lakers, not a report.
