The Wolves Solved Their Own Mess Through the NBA Draft

By trading for Rob Dillingham, the Wolves surprised a lot of people.

Mar 15, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) gets fouled by Texas A&M Aggies forward Solomon Washington (13) and guard Manny Obaseki (35) during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Look, there's no easy way to say this, but we cannot, and must not, downplay how much the Minnesota Timberwolves were truly, and utterly bad shape financially going into this offseason, and moving towards the future.  Seriously, they were in deep, deep trouble -- to the point where you had to wonder what on Earth they were going to do, from a salary cap perspective, down the line, given just how much money they'd spent on key players.

They didn't have the assets to make immediate upgrades, nor did they have the financial flexibility to make big signings. They were, for all intents and purposes, completely handcuffed.

That is, of course, until they decided to hoodwink us all and pivot in a direction none of us thought they'd go in by acquiring the 8th selection of the 2024 NBA Draft, and selecting Rob Dillingham, relinquishing future draft selections to get a guy in on a similar timeline as Anthony Edwards, their biggest star.

That play was smart, full stop. Not only did they get an explosive scorer into the fold - something of which they've needed for a while now - but they also very likely found the long-term backcourt mate of Edwards, a task Mike Conley couldn't live up to given his age.

A day will soon come when Conley is going to hang them up, and when he does, the Wolves can lean into Dillingham, who averaged 15.2 points and canned 44.4% of his triples at Kentucky, all while playing just 23.3 minutes per game.

At just 6-foot-1, Dillingham will always be a small guard, and he's got warts. Nobody really knows if he can defend at the NBA level, and it's fair to wonder if he'll ever be a better playmaker than a scorer. But given where the Wolves found themselves, beggars can't be choosers, and at least they identified a guard who - at least - can function as a floor spacer, widening the court for Edwards, and potentially Karl-Anthony Towns if he sticks around. 

They also secured themselves a player who is locked into a four-year rookie contract, meaning there is team control for the foreseeable future, providing the Wolves with much-needed control of their own finances for a change.

Dillingham, who will likely back up Conley for at least this coming season, also could not learn the game from anyone better. Conley is a master of managing time and score, and he's by all accounts one of the most reliable and positive locker room people in the entire league. 

That stuff matters, especially for a young player looking to develop into a leader himself. 

For all the criticism that's been laid at the feet of the Wolves for the Gobert trade - of which there's plenty, including from this writer - the Wolves made one heck of a surprise move in June, and one we probably should be talking more about. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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