The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t supposed to be on the clock til much later in the night during Wednesday’s first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, but word broke as the San Antonio Spurs took Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 pick that the Kentucky guard was actually being redirected to the West’s runners-up for first round picks in 2030 and 2031.
The Timberwolves are trading a 2031 unprotected first and a protected 2030 pick swap to the Spurs for Dillingham, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/jTMUQlhsrh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
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
The Spurs use the trade to stock up on more future picks, while the Timberwolves addressed a serious need at the guard spot, jumping up to take one of the most explosive scorers in this year’s Draft. Minnesota, given their cap situation, needed to find ways to add talent that would be cost controlled, and knowing free agents wouldn’t really be an option beyond vet minimums, they saw an opportunity to jump up and fill a need with Dillingham.
Rob Dillingham (No. 8 Overall), B+: Dillingham is far from a “safe” bet given his stature. He’s tiny. Everyone knows this. However, he does have legitimate on-ball upside in a draft that doesn’t have much of that. In Minnesota, they can also take it slowly with him on a team that features Mike Conley, and Dillingham does pair snugly with Rudy Gobert behind him on defense, where the young guard projects to struggle.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (No. 27 Overall), B-: Shannon had a highly productive, All-American level season at Illinois in 2023-24. He’s also a five-year college player with some questions about translation. At the same time, his age (23) is less of an issue at this point late in the first round, and Shannon might be able to add punch for a win-now team given his athleticism and shot creation equity.
