Ayo Dosunmu says joining the Minnesota Timberwolves forced him out of his comfort zone, but the February trade ultimately led to a five-year, $112 million extension.
The guard opened up about his move from Chicago in an essay for The Players’ Tribune, describing the experience as a major personal adjustment.
“I had spent my entire life in Chicago, in my cocoon with my family, all the way from a kid to Illinois to the Bulls,” Dosunmu wrote. “So it felt like God was telling me, ‘Alright, it’s time to grow up. I’m throwing you in the deep end for the first time. You gotta ADAPT or sink.’”
He added: “And he threw me in with the sharks. The great white shark, bro. Ant.”
Dosunmu was referring to Anthony Edwards, whom he described as a special player and an relentless trash talker.
“He’s special. As a trash talker, he’s like what you hear about with the Kobe stories, the MJ stories, the KG stories,” Dosunmu wrote. “No, really I think a better comparison is like the Ali stories. He’s jogging back after a bucket like, ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! I’m a bad man! I’m so pretty!!!’”
Dosunmu said he initially tried to observe and stay out of the way after arriving in Minnesota. That changed when the team entered the playoffs and the intensity increased.
“Once it gets to playoff time and the energy is a little different, I’m talking sh*t back to Ant in practice, and I can see he’s going up a level,” he wrote.
The Timberwolves acquired Dosunmu and Julian Philips from the Chicago Bulls on February 4, sending Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks to Chicago.
Dosunmu said the uncertainty surrounding a midseason trade made the transition difficult, but Minnesota welcomed him immediately.
“When you get traded, it’s like a breakup. Except in basketball, you can’t pick your new girl! You don’t know how it’s gonna go! Might be a good fit, might not be,” he wrote. “Thank God, from the first day, everybody embraced me here.”
He recalled arriving in Minnesota with just two bags and keeping the same clothes throughout the playoff run.
“My fiancée was texting me like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to bring you some new clothes?’” Dosunmu wrote. “But I was so locked in that I didn’t even want to think about anything but ball.”
The guard also explained why signing his extension meant more than reaching a career milestone.
“It’s crazy but I actually cried tears of joy when I signed my extension this summer,” Dosunmu wrote. “I cried tears of joy when I signed that piece of paper because of life.”
Dosunmu is averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists through nine games in the 2026-27 season. He has started five games for Minnesota, which has opened the campaign with a 6-3 record.
