The Los Angeles Lakers watched as the rival Timberwolves acquired Ayo Dosunmu to kick off deadline day. It cost Minnesota Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round draft picks to get the 26-year-old guard. He was on an expiring contract, fit Luka Doncic’s age timeline, and checked all the boxes, but Rob Pelinka did nothing.
The Lakers are focused on maintaining cap space for the offseason. That is when the building around Luka will begin, but why wait? The perfect piece was sitting right there, and the Lakers could have topped Minnesota’s offer by throwing in a first-round draft pick. Instead, Pelinka watched as the team that eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs last season got better.
Los Angeles has Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James. Their goal should be to win the championship right now. Luka Doncic looks like the MVP, and the other two are playing like superstars. To be a serious contender, the Lakers need a perimeter defensive upgrade and a trusted rim protector at the five. Dosunmu was the perfect fit for one of those holes, but the purple and gold let him go elsewhere.
Lakers fans can’t help but feel the pain as Ayo Dosunmu is traded to the Timberwolves
Dosunmu averages 15.0 points, 3.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 26.4 minutes per game this season. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 45.1 percent on his 3-point attempts. The 6’4 guard is a versatile option. He is comfortable coming off the bench and is on an expiring contract.
What more did Pelinka want? The Lakers would have maintained their offseason flexibility and grabbed a piece to help them right now.
Not doing this move only makes sense if the plan is to bring a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo to Los Angeles this summer. The Lakers will need all the draft capital they can muster to make that move, but it means building a top-heavy roster. If LA wanted depth and role players around Doncic and Austin Reaves, they just missed on the perfect target.
Dosunmu is on an expiring contract, but the Wolves just put themselves in the driver’s seat to retain him long-term. If the Lakers plan to target him this summer, why not make the deal happen now and let him get settled around Luka and AR? The strategy of waiting is just pushing back LA’s contention window, as the players will need time to gel.
Dosunmu is having the best year of his career and just entering his prime. He looks like the ideal versatile option capable of spacing the floor, guarding multiple positions, and filling a role on a title contender. That is exactly what the Lakers need next to Luka Doncic, but it is impossible to acquire if you don’t act.
The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans should be feeling the sting of letting Ayo Dosunmu go to the rival Timberwolves. It was just the perimeter defender and shot maker the franchise needs, but this deal didn’t happen.
The Lakers are promising moves in the offseason, and the pressure is already turning up for Rob Pelinka and his front office to deliver. All fans can do is wait and see if the Lakers make it all worth it.