WOJ: Spurs draft Rob Dillingham 8th, then trade him to the TWolves for an unprotected 2031 first

[og15]

The pick can be more valuable in like 2029 if the Spurs are looking to upgrade their rotation for example.

At that point it would be a pick not too far away which many times can be used to acquire a solid rotation piece.

[KGdaBom]

I imagine the Spurs value the pick as something they can package up with a bunch of other picks to trade for another star at some point. I doubt they're making the trade to plan for 2031. I really like it as a Wolves fan but I think it's going to be good for both teams.

Yup. A gaggle of Captain Literals in here with zero imagination. It’s going to eventually be part of a package for a star.

I think the Wolves got a semi star in Dillingham. Teams are going to value the swap and pick so far away very little. For the Spurs to get a star they will have to send a LOT more than what they got from the Wolves.

[KGdaBom]

Wolves depth chart come playoff time:

McDaniels
Towns
Gobert
Edwards
Conley

Naz
NAW
Rob Dillingham.

Is Dillingham even going to be playable in the playoffs? In all likelihood he’s going to be terrible defensively next season and his offense could take a year or two. He doesn’t scream “NBA ready”

He sure looks NBA ready to me. Time will tell.

[KGdaBom]

I imagine the Spurs value the pick as something they can package up with a bunch of other picks to trade for another star at some point. I doubt they're making the trade to plan for 2031. I really like it as a Wolves fan but I think it's going to be good for both teams.

Yup. A gaggle of Captain Literals in here with zero imagination. It’s going to eventually be part of a package for a star.

Yeah. And the further an unprotected pick is down the road the more value it usually holds due to its uncertain nature. Picks also lose a lot of value after they are made so this pick will retain the “still on the lot” value. There are a variety of ways the Spurs can use this pick to improve their team. The Spurs actually making the pick is probably the least likely outcome.

5 years from now IF the Spurs still control the swap and the pick they will have some value. They have virtually no value now because they can't be used for so long and almost nobody will be interested in trading for them.

[Wingy]

I imagine the Spurs value the pick as something they can package up with a bunch of other picks to trade for another star at some point. I doubt they're making the trade to plan for 2031. I really like it as a Wolves fan but I think it's going to be good for both teams.

Yup. A gaggle of Captain Literals in here with zero imagination. It’s going to eventually be part of a package for a star.

I think the Wolves got a semi star in Dillingham. Teams are going to value the swap and pick so far away very little. For the Spurs to get a star they will have to send a LOT more than what they got from the Wolves.

Well, yeah. I said it would be part of a package. Spurs have a ton of picks. When some big star asks out, they’ll likely be intrigued to play with Wemby and the Spurs will have the ammo to accommodate a trade.

[KGdaBom]

That's a crazy trade for the Spurs. They're going to wait SEVEN years to get some help for Wemby?!

Read on Twitter

that 2031 pick will likely be top 5 as KAT, Gobert and Edwards will be long gone and they'll revert to being an NBA doormat organization. It also gives them a valuable asset to use in trades. Once again, Spurs playing Chess. Short-term it's excellent for the Wolves as it gives them a dynamic scorer to take the load off Edwards. Spurs have multiple picks in the 2nd round and this is a very deep draft of role players so they'll get contributors.

I like it for the Spurs assuming they didn’t like anyone at #8. You’re correct in ‘31 Gobert will be gone and KAT will either be gone or making like $90m/yr LOL. The Wolves have already traded away their future and are very likely to be bad in 6-7 years.

The Spurs have loads of future picks and they can do more in FA this summer now. When you’re setting up to a contender you’ll need the flexibility of bringing in guys on-cost controlled rookie contracts or ability to trade picks to acquire elite role players like Caruso as an example.

Spurs playing the long game here. They already have loads of youth plus #4 this year.

I've been following the NBA for over 50 years and the Spurs just made the worst trade I have ever seen. Pick 8 now for a random swap 6 years from now and a random pick 7 years from now with the Wolves who are crazy young and talented and likely to be picking in the 20s or 30s in those years.

[KGdaBom]

Yup. A gaggle of Captain Literals in here with zero imagination. It’s going to eventually be part of a package for a star.

I think the Wolves got a semi star in Dillingham. Teams are going to value the swap and pick so far away very little. For the Spurs to get a star they will have to send a LOT more than what they got from the Wolves.

Well, yeah. I said it would be part of a package. Spurs have a ton of picks. When some big star asks out, they’ll likely be intrigued to play with Wemby and the Spurs will have the ammo to accommodate a trade.

True, but they already had that ammo before trading with the Wolves.

[KGdaBom]

That's a crazy trade for the Spurs. They're going to wait SEVEN years to get some help for Wemby?!

maybe the spurs are thinkin' quantum realm lottery physics

and you're thinking tictactoe

Yep that's the only way to make sense of it.

[KGdaBom]

Why would Spurs do this?

Just read this thread and you will find all kinds of people desperately trying to defend it. To me it's the worst trade ever made.

[KGdaBom]

If you believe this Ant is going to be in Minny in 2031 (and 2030) then this trade feels underwhelming. If you question where Ant is 7 years fro now, or think he'll be gone... this is genius. I assume the Spurs, having #4 and #8, scouted heavily and just didn't like what was left. Once they saw Clingan off the board, they probably said F it.

For Minny, this could come back to bite the if Ant is gone in 7 years but in the short term, (big) IF Dillingham hits, his fit and talent is undeniable.

If Ant is gone which is unlikely looking at how young and talented the Wolves roster is the Wolves are still likely to be very good.

[KGdaBom]

It's a common trade you see in a dynasty fantasy basketball or football league. Wemby is 20 years old. Let's not rush things

That's your defense? "Yo guys, this is totally normal in pretend sports GMing, so why wouldn't this be cool for the real thing?" Uh... any number of reasons? If you're a fantasy GM you know you will keep your team as long as you want it. That's not true for GM jobs. There's a fanastic chance that the guy who made the trade today won't be in charge of the Spurs by 2031. Since fantasy is just make believe, the players on your team have no idea you're giving up on the next few seasons so they don't care. In real life, Wemby knows the Spurs aren't helping him right away and will care. In fantasy you don't have to sell tickets or answer to fans. In real life you do.

It was more of an observation. I’m not defending it but I see the rationale to have more cap space and capital to make moves if you don’t love the player.

I get your side completely though. I would have kept Dill Pickle for what it’s worth

He's not a dill pickle. He's a Dilly Bar.

[KGdaBom]

Yeah $8 mill in extra cap space plus an extra pick and a swap to make moves will help them win now a lot more than a rookie Dillingham.
People are being prisoners of the moment here. Dillingham is very likely a huge negative this season. He's a 1-and-done, one-way player that weighs 160 pounds.
I think the move makes sense for Minnesota long term too, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand why people think an offense-only guard who is a disaster on defense will make Wemby happy
Pretty sure Wemby AND the Spurs want Wemby to get lots of reps w the ball in his hands, rather than focusing his efforts on defense so some 6' 1" rookie chucker can get up a bunch of shots.
Tbh Dillingham would have only made sense for the Spurs as a long-term project and tank commander. Anyone who thinks he's a win-now player is out of their depth here imo.

First of all, it's not an extra pick, it's the same number of picks, they are just getting it 7 years from now. Secondly, how does a future pick help winning now more than a rookie? What about next year when Dillingham is a second year player? Or the year after? At what point does Dillingham start outperforming a future draft pick in your mind? Cap space.... maybe. They could convert that to something that helps them sooner. Or they could not spend it now and save it for a future off season. Again, how would that unspent salary help winning more than Dillingham? Do you start to see the illogic of your statement?

The top 1 protected swap could be quite valuable. The Spurs in 2030 will be likely contending in Wemby’s prime. The Wolves could be legitimately awful by then.

Based on the youth and talent of the Wolves that is extremely unlikely. Also everybody thinks the Spurs will trade the swap and pick anyway.

[KGdaBom]

Ppl don’t get my Otis Thorpe reference… god I am old.

I've heard of Otis Thorpe. IIRC he was a good player, but I didn't get your point.

[KGdaBom]

My thoughts are this was a panic trade after Charlotte drafted Salaun at pick 6 who the spurs really wanted at pick 8.

I think you're right. They should have prepared for that and came up with a better trade.

[KGdaBom]

Spurs betting on Wolves falling apart and if so, then they traded a mediocre lotto pick in a terrible draft for possibly 2 high lotto picks that will coincide with Wemby prime.

Great gamble, love it from the Spurs.

The Spurs made the worst trade I have ever seen and I've been following the NBA for over 50 years. It is so bad it boggles the brain.

[KGdaBom]

The top 1 protected swap could be quite valuable. The Spurs in 2030 will be likely contending in Wemby’s prime. The Wolves could be legitimately awful by then.

That's true, it could be. Then again, Ant will only be 30 then, so it could be a pick in the mid 20's, and we'll wonder why the Spurs gave away the 8th pick 7 years ago for it.

I agree that it's a good asset, but it's a good asset for a team like the Wizards that has nothing and is trying to get good players. And of course it's impossible to know if it's a better or worse asset than the one they just gave up. The Spurs have Wemby and he wants to contend now, so giving the pick away for something that won't help them now is puzzling.

But really all my post was doing was responding to the person who said that a future draft pick would help the Spurs win now more than Dillingham which is flat out untrue and ridiculous.

Because it's an unprotected future FRP AND a top-1 protected pick swap AND $6 million in extra cap space this season.
The two draft assets could be involved in a trade whenever the Spurs find a deal they like, even as soon as this season, and the extra cap space could be the difference between signing a starter versus a bench rotation player.
Meanwhile Dillingham is projected to be a defensive sieve that will need time to adjust his game to the NBA.
So it's not really that difficult to see how this trade could help them win more game this season.
Obviously, if Dillingham becomes a HoFer or something, it will go down as a horrible trade. But if he's just a borderline starter by year 3 or something like that -- a totally reasonable development timeline -- then the trade will look pretty good.

It still won't look good. It's a swap 6 years from now and a pick 7 years from now. Nobody gives a **** about those. As the one poster earlier said with a big pic of Connelly. "**** them Picks"

[KGdaBom]

:-?

Good for Minnesota?

What the hell was that move for the Spurs?

Great for Minnesota. I see no reason for the Spurs to make it. They should have been able to trade for a pick next year instead of 7 years from now.

[whitehops]

to me, the spurs' logic was that they already have a lot of young talent to develop and it's tough to develop them all at the same time. after landing wemby and seeing his immediate impact i'm sure they advanced their timeline on when to start competing again.

they also went out and got vets like harrison barnes and chris paul which makes me think they want to compete while they develop the youngins. whatever you think of dillingham, chris paul is absolutely a better floor general and should be a great influence on guys like wemby and castle.

[KGdaBom]

Spurs betting on Wolves falling apart and if so, then they traded a mediocre lotto pick in a terrible draft for possibly 2 high lotto picks that will coincide with Wemby prime.

Great gamble, love it from the Spurs.

There is a lot of if's on that plan. One would think San Antonio would be serious about building a contender with Wembanyama sooner than later, and this trade does not fit the "sooner" plan at all. Keeping Wemby happy should be the #1 priority, and I don't see how that is achieved by trading away lottery picks when the roster is full of holes and the Spurs could use any help?

Is this draft and this evening the lone way and time limit in which to do that? It's like people can't think beyond the moment of the reaction of a trade or consider that extra cap space and picks are actually good trade assets for other moves that... improve the roster holes.

Nobody cares about a swap and a pick 6 and 7 years from now. If the Spurs hold those assets 5 years they MAY have some value, but odds are the Wolves will be very good in 2030-31.

[KGdaBom]

On the face of it, it’s a strange one.

But think the fact is that #8 in this draft just had very little value. There wasn’t anyone they wanted and chose a high variance future swap and first rounder.

This draft is just THAT bad IMO

Even very bad drafts have very good players. Tim Connelly was able to figure out a player that would help the Wolves at pick #8 this year. Wright should have been able to figure out a player to help the Spurs at #8. That's why they are calling him Wrong now.