The Chicago Bulls are walking a tightrope with their roster, and a seismic shakeup could be on the horizon. With both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu entering the final year of their contracts, the front office is staring down a tough financial reality—and a very public call has been made to act now, before it’s too late.
While attention this summer is fixated on Josh Giddey and his expected contract extension, the deeper story lies in the fate of White and Dosunmu. According to insider K.C. Johnson, the Bulls are not in a position to retain both guards long-term, especially if they also intend to lock in Giddey’s deal.
“From my seat, they’ve got to try to look to trade either Ayo [Dosunmu] or Coby [White],” Johnson said candidly on the Chicago Lead. “I think it will be very hard to re-sign both of them after next year when they both hit unrestricted free agency. You’ve got to get out in front of things like that… And, you’ve got to make these hard decisions.”
Johnson’s remarks are as much a warning as they are a roadmap. Waiting could mean losing one—or even both—of these rising stars for nothing in free agency. White, for his part, has been the Bulls’ best player statistically and impact-wise over recent seasons. But Dosunmu’s trajectory hints at a ceiling that may yet surprise, and the coaching staff is said to be high on his potential.
Still, difficult decisions define great franchises—and the Bulls must now choose whether to bet on untapped potential or proven performance.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Chicago’s roster puzzle gets more complicated with Lonzo Ball, whose future remains cloudy. The Bulls offered Ball a two-year, $20 million extension last season, with a team option on the second year. That option is now a pivot point: trade him, or gamble on his health and resurgence.
Jovan Buha, speaking on Buha’s Block, floated a tantalizing scenario: Ball returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I do, I think they would be,” Buha responded when asked if the Lakers would want Ball back. “It’s just a matter of what his price is and you have to factor in his health and the history there… you can’t even pencil him in for 60 games.”
The injury-plagued point guard appeared in just 35 games last season, averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Though his shooting percentages were subpar—36.6% from the field, 34.4% from three—his vision and leadership remain assets when healthy.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks may also be circling. NBA insider Marc Stein has reported that Ball is a name the Mavs could target, particularly as a fallback if they can’t acquire Jrue Holiday due to his massive $104 million contract.
“League sources say Dallas is expected to at least explore whether there are any feasible trade pathways… while also maintaining an interest in a far more reasonable trade target… Lonzo Ball,” Stein noted on the DLLS Mavs podcast.
For the Bulls, the writing is on the wall. Whether it’s Ball, White, or Dosunmu—maybe all three—change is coming. Chicago cannot afford to stand pat in an evolving NBA landscape where asset management is key to rebuilding and contention alike.
With the fanbase growing impatient and multiple teams sniffing around their backcourt talent, the Bulls front office must confront reality fast. Failure to act decisively could leave them empty-handed and directionless by next summer.
