The Atlanta Hawks had a rough start to their 2025-26 season, losing by twenty to the Toronto Raptors in a frustrating game. While it is not time to hit the panic button, it was an eye-opening experience that indicated this roster might not be complete yet.
Bleacher Report had an interesting trade idea for the Hawks: acquiring Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls. Entering his fifth season, Dosunmu is the perfect Trae Young backup the Hawks have been looking for.
Dosunmu is a 6’5 combo guard who was drafted from Illinois for his two-way potential at the guard position. He has a diverse skill set that allows him to operate comfortably on and off the ball, and critically, he is an energetic defender. While his three point shot has been inconsistent over the years, peaking at 40.3% in 2023-24 and crashing to 32.8% last season, Dosunmu would be a perfect fit to take pressure off of Keaton Wallace.
What would have to happen to warrant a trade
The Hawks have a collection of assets in the form of young players and draft picks to add the final pieces around their seven core players. Currently, the backcourt core of Young, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker lacks playmaking beyond Young.
The reality is that any guard next to Young has to be an elite defender. Dosunmu passes this test, as do Daniels and Alexander-Walker. Dosunmu’s role in the team would be somewhere between Alexander-Walker’s and that of a traditional point guard.
As of now, the Hawks haven’t shown that this is an area of concern. While Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the team in field goals attempted is a head-scratching stat, the team appears to have enough of an offensive pulse to create open looks. If the offense wanes, or if newcomer Luke Kennard’s defensive limitations prove to be incompatible alongside Young, the team will need to look for a cheap option to play a limited yet versatile role.
Dosunmu fits the bill for this spot as a young player with an expiring contract. He’ll earn $7.5 million this season and enter unrestricted free agency next summer. While not having control of Dosunmu long-term could be concerning, the Hawks do not have control of Kennard beyond this season either. The lack of a long-term commitment also adds appeal to the trade from Atlanta's lens, as if Dosumnu doesn't work out, the team can easily get off his contract.
Perhaps a swap structured around Kennard for Dosunmu could be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency trade option for Atlanta to keep in its back pocket.