The Timberwolves made a major splash on draft night on Wednesday, moving up to the No. 8 spot to select Kentucky freshman guard Rob Dillingham, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press.
Minnesota made the deal with the Spurs, and all it cost Minnesota was an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a pick swap in 2030. Perhaps those picks will prove fruitful for San Antonio, but it’s rare for the No. 8 overall pick — even in a “weak” draft — to be dealt for a pick seven years down the road.
The Wolves even held onto their other first-round selection — No. 27 overall — in Tuesday’s draft.
And for Minnesota — who’s about to be shackled by second-apron restrictions from a salary cap blown by — this was a chance to make some form of a big move. That 2031 first-round pick only became available to trade on Wednesday, and basketball boss Tim Connelly held onto it for all of a few hours.
Minnesota now has no first-round picks in odd years until 2033. It cannot trade its 2032 first-round pick as a result of the deal, but that was going to be true regardless because of the apron rules.
So this was the time to take a swing, and Minnesota took it by grabbing Dillingham.
The 19-year-old was a scoring phenom off the bench for the Wildcats last season. The Southeastern Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year averaged 15.2 points in just 23 minutes per game. He shot 44 percent from deep and has the ability to get to the rim at will with lightning quickness.
In the short term, Dillingham could potentially be the off-the-bench scoring burst that both Connelly and coach Chris Finch crave off the bench, but a role they hadn’t been able to fill in recent years. Jaylen Nowell was tried in that spot, but it didn’t work out.
Last year, the second-unit did seem to lack a bit of scoring punch. And, in general, Minnesota lacked perimeter playmakers outside of Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley.
Dillingham can fill both of those voids.
Now the question remains as to whether Finch will trust him with minutes on a championship contender this next season. Minnesota is on the cusp of winning a title. Will Dillingham — who at 164 pounds was easily the slightest player in this class — be able to make the transition to defend and decision-make at the highest level to help the Wolves right away?
That remains to be seen. But even if he isn’t a playoff player a year from now, Minnesota had a major question surrounding its point guard of the future in the years to come after Conley’s playing days are over, with very few ways to that void in the future.
Dillingham could potentially grow into that role, and will have the opportunity to learn from Conley in the coming years before that transition would need to take place. And, at the core of the move, if Dillingham hits in the way Minnesota likely hopes he will, he can be a high-level impact player in the NBA.
For a team that’s strapped of pathways to roster improvement for years to come after the Rudy Gobert trade, opportunities to acquire such talents need to be seized. And Connelly and Co. have proven they won’t shy away from opportunity when it knocks on the door.
