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

[Klomp]

I love it for MIN. They desperately needed another shot creator / scorer in the backcourt. I wouldn't be surprised if he's ROY as the 6th man avg 15 PPG for MIN

He just might have a shot at ROY.

There's def gonna be a lot of huge games from him this season and his style of play is so highlight friendly, I think he's going to get a lot of buzz.

I think it's noteworthy that Dillingham finished in the Top 5 in all of summer league in assists. I think everyone knows him for his scoring, which is flashy and will get him buzz on highlights, but also creates inefficiency. Becoming a good passer will help him balance out those inefficient nights to where he can still be a productive player.

And I think being a key rotational piece on a top team will help him be recognized much more than someone who might be putting up numbers in Charlotte or Detroit. One or two big flash games are sometimes all it takes to get the hype machine going.

[KGdaBom]

What if he's worse than a starting point guard for the next 8 years?

Two of Minnesota's biggest needs longterm at the moment are...

1. Franchise point guard
2. Scoring punch/self-creation off the bench

Dillingham filling the first would be incredible. However, even if he doesn't reach that height, there is a strong chance he can fill the second. That is still an enormous win for the franchise to add that kind of player on an asset-strapped team.

He's going to need to hit the weight room immediately, one of the most slightly built players I've seen in a long time. He reminds me of Brandon Jennings though, even the way he shoots and his legs turn sideways on pullups.

He doesn't need to hit the weight room. He's ripped as hell. He's just small.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Two of Minnesota's biggest needs longterm at the moment are...

1. Franchise point guard
2. Scoring punch/self-creation off the bench

Dillingham filling the first would be incredible. However, even if he doesn't reach that height, there is a strong chance he can fill the second. That is still an enormous win for the franchise to add that kind of player on an asset-strapped team.

He's going to need to hit the weight room immediately, one of the most slightly built players I've seen in a long time. He reminds me of Brandon Jennings though, even the way he shoots and his legs turn sideways on pullups.

He doesn't need to hit the weight room. He's ripped as hell. He's just small.

He's 164lbs and was the lightest person at the combine, he absolutely needs to hit the weights. Just for comparison Sheppard is 181lbs and they're the same height.

[Klomp]

He's going to need to hit the weight room immediately, one of the most slightly built players I've seen in a long time. He reminds me of Brandon Jennings though, even the way he shoots and his legs turn sideways on pullups.

He doesn't need to hit the weight room. He's ripped as hell. He's just small.

He's 164lbs and was the lightest person at the combine, he absolutely needs to hit the weights. Just for comparison Sheppard is 181lbs and they're the same height.

I understand the comparison, but equal heights don't necessarily mean the weights have to be equal.

[KGdaBom]

He's going to need to hit the weight room immediately, one of the most slightly built players I've seen in a long time. He reminds me of Brandon Jennings though, even the way he shoots and his legs turn sideways on pullups.

He doesn't need to hit the weight room. He's ripped as hell. He's just small.

He's 164lbs and was the lightest person at the combine, he absolutely needs to hit the weights. Just for comparison Sheppard is 181lbs and they're the same height.

He's small by NBA standards. He's always going to be small. That's not going to change no matter how much he hits the weights. Almost identical size of Alan Iverson. Just the way he is. He's managed to be good at basketball despite this. He's hit the weights more than you can imagine. Dude has a 12 pack. Maybe some lower body work.

[Slim Tubby]

I don’t understand why so many people are down on Dillingham. It seems like he had a solid summer league despite it being summer league. Seems like a no brainer risk for the Wolves. Even if he’s nothing more than a starting calibre PG for the next 8 years you’re in a good position.

I think the Spurs got a little too cute by half with this move. Sure a pick 7 years away might turn into something good but you have something good in Dillingham. A player who’s defensive problems could be covered up by a generational defensive player and would be an awesome backcourt mate with Castle. That also ignores the other players the Spurs could have picked that got drafted after 8.

What if he's worse than a starting point guard for the next 8 years?

And what if the Spurs have to wait until 2035 to determine they drafted a dud seven (7) years from now?

Procrastination rarely ends well.

Sent from my N152DL using RealGM mobile app

[Pointgod]

I don’t understand why so many people are down on Dillingham. It seems like he had a solid summer league despite it being summer league. Seems like a no brainer risk for the Wolves. Even if he’s nothing more than a starting calibre PG for the next 8 years you’re in a good position.

I think the Spurs got a little too cute by half with this move. Sure a pick 7 years away might turn into something good but you have something good in Dillingham. A player who’s defensive problems could be covered up by a generational defensive player and would be an awesome backcourt mate with Castle. That also ignores the other players the Spurs could have picked that got drafted after 8.

What if he's worse than a starting point guard for the next 8 years?

The Spurs could have drafted anyone that came after the 8th pick. I like Dillingham’s fit in the team but they didn’t have to draft Dillingham and now they have to wait 7 years to draft a guy who will take another 2-3 years to determine if he’s a bust.

[Ayt]

Can't believe there are people defending this deal lmao. It was a horrible deal. Giving away a 1st round draft pick for cash would probably be a better trade IMO.

How do people come up with this nonsense?

[KGdaBom]

He doesn't need to hit the weight room. He's ripped as hell. He's just small.

He's 164lbs and was the lightest person at the combine, he absolutely needs to hit the weights. Just for comparison Sheppard is 181lbs and they're the same height.

He's small by NBA standards. He's always going to be small. That's not going to change no matter how much he hits the weights. Almost identical size of Alan Iverson. Just the way he is. He's managed to be good at basketball despite this. He's hit the weights more than you can imagine. Dude has a 12 pack. Maybe some lower body work.

Here's a good article with some photos to show that Dillingham has already been hitting the weights.
https://kyinsider.com/kentucky-wildcats-basketball-rob-dillingham-body-transformation-090623/#:~:text=Coming%20in%20at%206'1,undersized%20entering%20his%20freshman%20season.

[CIN-C-STAR]

I think some of you are either forgetting or severely discounting the fact that the #8 pick comes with an $8 million salary.
If they used it they wouldn’t have been able to do both the Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes deals.
People keep saying they need to do more to win now, and at the same time say they should have drafted another project instead of acquiring these veterans AND picking up future assets.

[Effigy]

What if the Spurs don’t think Dillingham is good? If the Spurs thought Dillingham was going to be some surefire starter down the road they probably don’t trade him. If they think he’s Lou Williams 2.0 then they can probably acquire that type of player for cheaper than what they gave up. Maybe they don’t like him at all. The Spurs didn’t draft Dillingham, they drafted him for the Wolves so we don’t really know what the Spurs think of Dillingham but it obviously isn’t a high opinion.

The Spurs could have drafted anybody available at pick 8. They didn't have to pick Dillingham.

Spurs didn't. WOLVES picked it after trading for pick 8. Spurs just did what Wolves directed them to with their pick.

Right, that's what I was saying, it's irrelevant how the Spurs felt about Dillingham because they aren't the ones who picked him and could have picked anyone.

[Blame Rasho]

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

He was involved in a trade to Vancouver in 1997, and it involved a draft pick. The draft pick was nothing to think about at the time. It eventually became the 2nd pick of the 2003 draft. The Pistons did screw up with that pick, and could have gotten a handful of allstars instead of Darko.

In this instance, a pick was given up instead of a player for a far distant pick which might likely be a far better pick in the future. Let me be clear, it is all but certain that at least one player picked 8 or later will be a good player, but given the uncertainty of how this draft was projected to be, the spurs thought they should pass. No one seems to acknowledge this as well, but their recent picks have umm sucked. Branham, Westley, and Primo are all busts.

A trade can be a win win for both teams. Dillingham seems be a good kid, I wish him the best and I think overall he is in a better place for him to actually grow with the wolves rather than the Spurs.

To counter....

In 2005, Minnesota traded Sam Cassell and a protected first-round draft pick for former second round picks Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers. This draft pick was viewed in Clipper land as gold, especially as Minnesota was about to string together 12 consecutive losing seasons. It was heralded as a key trade asset to help the Clippers acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets, especially as Minnesota had four straight seasons under 25 wins at the time and the pick would eventually turn unprotected.

However, Minnesota finished with only the 10th-worst record in the NBA (thanks only to losing 13 of 14 to close the season), and that prized asset for New Orleans resulted in the great Austin Rivers.

You underrate the amount of discussions that we had with Marco Jaric’s wife.

Ppl… feel free to google that factoid.

[Dan Z]

I think some of you are either forgetting or severely discounting the fact that the #8 pick comes with an $8 million salary.
If they used it they wouldn’t have been able to do both the Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes deals.
People keep saying they need to do more to win now, and at the same time say they should have drafted another project instead of acquiring these veterans AND picking up future assets.

Does Chris Paul really mean much for the Spurs?

[Klomp]

You underrate the amount of discussions that we had with Marco Jaric’s wife.

Ppl… feel free to google that factoid.

I remember all the discussions about her, but not necessarily with her.

[CIN-C-STAR]

I think some of you are either forgetting or severely discounting the fact that the #8 pick comes with an $8 million salary.
If they used it they wouldn’t have been able to do both the Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes deals.
People keep saying they need to do more to win now, and at the same time say they should have drafted another project instead of acquiring these veterans AND picking up future assets.

Does Chris Paul really mean much for the Spurs?

The Spurs need to develop all their young players, not just Wemby. And currently, their young players are pretty lackadaisical at times.
So just as a guy who can show the youngins how to set Wemby up, hold them accountable on the court and in practice, and keep their focus and show them how to win — without hogging all the reps for himself because he’s old and isn’t trying to prove himself anymore?
Yeah, I think it could be a pretty helpful signing from that perspective.
Do I think he makes them a legit threat in the playoffs this season? No, not really, but no one at #8 would have either.
It’s also a 1-year deal so they could move him at the deadline for another asset or at a minimum he keeps their cap sheet free going into next season.
I also think there’s a limit to how many young guys you can develop at once. Vassell still needs reps to get better and live up to his contract. Sochan needs reps. Castle needs reps.
If they are done tanking (assuming Wemby has a healthy season) you can’t really try to be competitive AND develop a bunch of young guys at the same time imo.

[ConSarnit]

NFL teams make these types of trades all of the time. I’m not sure why people don’t think that analytically inclined NBA front offices might operate in the same way. The Spurs are taking a risk based on math. NBA teams likely have a chart that says something like pick #8 = #14 + #22 (these numbers aren’t accurate just using them as an example). If the Spurs can trade up 8-10 spots in 2030 and get pick #18 in 2031 then mathematically they probably break even, especially when you consider this is about the weakest 8th pick you can have given the low quality of this draft.

It’s not hard to see why both teams made this trade. The Wolves will need a new stating pg soon. The Spurs want assets during Wemby’s prime when they’ll be in the thick of contending. The deal will look bad for the Spurs because someone good will be taken in the 8-12 range until the picks convey or they use them in a trade. If Dillingham is just a bench guard it will probably look really bad for the Wolves. We likely won’t get answers on either for a few years.

[Chinook]

I think some of you are either forgetting or severely discounting the fact that the #8 pick comes with an $8 million salary.
If they used it they wouldn’t have been able to do both the Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes deals.
People keep saying they need to do more to win now, and at the same time say they should have drafted another project instead of acquiring these veterans AND picking up future assets.

Does Chris Paul really mean much for the Spurs?

Paul means a ton for the Spurs. Have folks actually watched Wemby play? Yes, he's amazing, but he has no idea how to be an NBA big. Paul is worth is weight in gold if he can get Victor on the right track there.

But it should be noted that the Spurs could've drafted at eight and still pulled off the Paul and Barnes acquisitions if they knew how things would go down. The Spurs using cap space for both moves was basically the least efficient ways to accomplish those goals. Had they stayed over and use the MLE for Paul and paid Charlotte to take Graham's full salary rather than just the guaranteed portion, they could have done all of those moves just fine and even avoided waiving Bassey and renouncing their free agents.

Of course, since you can't predict the future, I'm not blaming the Spurs for not making retrospectively optimal moves. But the decision to be a cap space team was always questionable given their disinterest in free agents. I remain of the belief that they were the team taking Paul in a potential George-to-GS trade. Considering they got him for the MLE, their willingness to pay Paul three times that much AND pass up on a top-10 talent would be pretty concerning if proven true.

[Dan Z]

I think some of you are either forgetting or severely discounting the fact that the #8 pick comes with an $8 million salary.
If they used it they wouldn’t have been able to do both the Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes deals.
People keep saying they need to do more to win now, and at the same time say they should have drafted another project instead of acquiring these veterans AND picking up future assets.

Does Chris Paul really mean much for the Spurs?

The Spurs need to develop all their young players, not just Wemby. And currently, their young players are pretty lackadaisical at times.
So just as a guy who can show the youngins how to set Wemby up, hold them accountable on the court and in practice, and keep their focus and show them how to win — without hogging all the reps for himself because he’s old and isn’t trying to prove himself anymore?
Yeah, I think it could be a pretty helpful signing from that perspective.
Do I think he makes them a legit threat in the playoffs this season? No, not really, but no one at #8 would have either.
It’s also a 1-year deal so they could move him at the deadline for another asset or at a minimum he keeps their cap sheet free going into next season.
I also think there’s a limit to how many young guys you can develop at once. Vassell still needs reps to get better and live up to his contract. Sochan needs reps. Castle needs reps.
If they are done tanking (assuming Wemby has a healthy season) you can’t really try to be competitive AND develop a bunch of young guys at the same time imo.

I'm not saying he's not useful and won't help them, but in the long run I don't think Chris Paul matters much.

They have an all-time great coach...that alone should help. Plus some of their players are vets now (such as Vassell and Jones) and they added Barnes.

I understand what the Spurs did. They're taking a chance that the swap and future pick will be better than whatever was available at #8. It also gives them flexibility going forward.

It's not a bad move, but I'm not sure if it's what I would've done. Players take time to develop and Wemby is ready now. Might as well add another young player and let the team grow together.

However, I wouldn't have pick Dillingham at #8.

[brutalitops]

I really liked what I saw.

Yeah. Maybe he's not coming in during game 6 with 5m to go in the finals and scoring a couple of 3's. But he's a young dude who can get buckets, but he showed some really good playmaking.

Realistically he's our 7th/8th this season, but a more dynamic perimeter scorer which we really lacked and can take a bit of the load off Conley as well

[Klomp]

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