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

[epfou1]

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

[Effigy]

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.

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.

[DoctorX]

Puzzling decision by SAS. They are supposed to be building around Wemby, not Deuce Tatum

I have to admit that cracked me up. Deuce I think will be ready to play by 2031.

[EmperorLocky]

Not a bad bet on the pick and the swap. Wolves have been a lottery team, as per my AI friend today, 21 out of 33 times. Had 20 picks in the top 10 and 16 of those in the top 5.

Not a bad move by Spurs. I doubt Ant still in Minnesota by then.

[LondonWolf91]

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

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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.

How exactly have we traded away our future when the large majority of our roster is under the age of 25? Within that core we have Ant, McDaniels, Naz Reid and NAW. Dillingham and Shannon Jr may also become very good NBA players too.

Barring a tragedy or an Anthony Edwards trade/injury - we will not suck come 2031.

[ANTETOKOUNBROS]

this is the most bizarre draft day trade in NBA history

[RoyceDa59]

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.

[CIN-C-STAR]

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.

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.

[Effigy]

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.

You originally said:
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.

Now you are saying:

So it's not really that difficult to see how this trade could help them win more game this season.

So sure, I guess this move COULD help the Spurs win more games this season, depending on how they spend the cap room and if they use the picks (I highly doubt they will use the picks this year, they just aren't that valuable until we get a bit closer to 2030) but that's not what you said originally. You moved the goalposts. But anyway, glad you came to your senses and realized that original statement was nuts, lol.

[Catchall]

A team that won 22 games last year punts on a top-8 pick when players like Cody Williams, Matas Buzelis, Nikola Topic and Devin Carter are sitting there? That doesn't make sense.

[monopoman]

W

[monopoman]

SAS playing 4D chess by already tanking for Cooper Flagg next draft to pair with Wemby.

They will have at best a 14% chance at him, the notion that the worst team in the NBA has a huge chance to get that #1 pick is absurd. It's like the guy that thinks that putting 10 grand on 26 black is a good bet.

[durden_tyler]

A team that won 22 games last year punts on a top-8 pick when players like Cody Williams, Matas Buzelis, Nikola Topic and Devin Carter are sitting there? That doesn't make sense.

Spurs are just smarter than everyone else. They probably see no stars and just mediocre players this draft so the move makes sense.


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[jkvonny]

Good for Minnesota?

What the hell was that move for the Spurs?

[vxmike]

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.

How exactly have we traded away our future when the large majority of our roster is under the age of 25? Within that core we have Ant, McDaniels, Naz Reid and NAW. Dillingham and Shannon Jr may also become very good NBA players too.

Barring a tragedy or an Anthony Edwards trade/injury - we will not suck come 2031.

Well I just meant the Wolves have already traded away all their draft assets. My wording was a bit extreme.

Anyways Gobert will be gone or ancient. KAT will be well past his prime and even more grossly overpaid if still present. Conley will be gone and they have no proven PG replacement. For a young contender the team is already very expensive and has traded all future draft assets.

I love what the Wolves are doing and was cheering for them all the way, but they might have a short window as a contender.

[eric365]

Jakob Poeltl trade gave us this 8th pick that will turn maybe in 2 very high picks in the future

Very OKC like method to manage pick

And for next season, let first see if they fix the team in trade / free agent before we know if they tank. At the very least with a SF
I really think they wanted Salaun for that

[knicksfan974]

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?

[G R E Y]

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.

[LondonWolf91]

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.

How exactly have we traded away our future when the large majority of our roster is under the age of 25? Within that core we have Ant, McDaniels, Naz Reid and NAW. Dillingham and Shannon Jr may also become very good NBA players too.

Barring a tragedy or an Anthony Edwards trade/injury - we will not suck come 2031.

Well I just meant the Wolves have already traded away all their draft assets. My wording was a bit extreme.

Anyways Gobert will be gone or ancient. KAT will be well past his prime and even more grossly overpaid if still present. Conley will be gone and they have no proven PG replacement. For a young contender the team is already very expensive and has traded all future draft assets.

I love what the Wolves are doing and was cheering for them all the way, but they might have a short window as a contender.

I understand what you are saying and agree to an extent but the Wolves can always trade Gobert and KAT for picks + players back. Seeing what Bridges got in the market, I have no doubts KAT can fetch something similar.

Dillingham is supposed to be the Conley replacement. In fact, nobody better to nurture Rob than Conley and Monte Morris' themselves. Two incredibly high IQ pg's.

[Dominator83]

Wemby has to be pissed...maybe Kawhi was right

**** Nephew. Spurs were right about his **** knee but he won't listen. As for Wemby, we are not bending to the wishes of a 20 year old. We will build there right way and with patience. If Wemby can't understand that we need a competitive core for the next 10-12 years with him as a centerpiece instead of making shortsighted lateral moves than he can also leave after 7 years.

That's the way to do it. I'm glad that in the late 80s, Krause didn't cave to what MJ wanted. He was pissed when they traded oakley for Cartwright (Oakley was of course better on paper but Cartwright was better for knowing they would have to get thru Patrick Ewing regularly in the playoffs), and he wanted them to draft Joe wolf instead of Horace Grant.

Don't let the players GM