The San Antonio Spurs used the No. 4 pick to draft Stephon Castle but didn’t feel the need to use their No. 8 pick to make a selection as well. They traded the pick to the Timberwolves for a 2030 first-round pick and a top-1 protected pick swap in 2031, just for the Wolves to select Kentucky Wildcat Rob Dillingham.
Timberwolves traded 2031 unprotected first-rounder and a 2030 swap (top 1 protected) to Spurs for Rob Dillingham, sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024
Dillingham has been one of the most intriguing prospects of the draft. He’s a 6’1″ guard with tenacious on-ball defense and an offensive game that could translate to the NBA. This is clearly a long-term play for the Wolves, who will hope that they can develop Dillingham off the bench this season before he can take Mike Conley’s spot as starting point guard.
Rob averaged 15.2 points on 44.4% from three last season with Kentucky. There have been concerns over his size and whether he’ll struggle to switch over to the NBA, but his defensive floor and shooting ability will make the Wolves optimistic about what he can achieve in the NBA.
The Spurs had been linked with Dillingham for a while, but the selection of Stephon Castle at No. 4 eliminated their need to get another guard. Getting some really high-value future picks from the Wolves is smart. Minnesota’s future is already mortgaged with the picks they sent out for Rudy Gobert, with two more picks heading out the door to bring Dillingham in.
If this works for the Wolves, they have created a backcourt for the future with Dillingham and Edwards, which could be a more prudent winning strategy than constantly trading picks for win-now pieces who might not have the success they expect.
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