Inside The Spurs

Why Would Spurs Trade Rob Dillingham to Minnesota? It Remains Unclear.

After selecting another point guard with the No. 8 overall pick, the San Antonio Spurs are sending Rob Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a couple of picks, leading many to wonder what the vision behind the move was.

Matt Guzman

Mar 2, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) walks off the court after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
Mar 2, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) walks off the court after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
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Rob Dillingham's tenure in San Antonio was short-lived.

With the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected Dillingham, a point guard from Kentucky to round out their first-round draft class, but less than 10 minutes later, he was to be en route to Minnesota via trade.

The return?

The Timberwolves' 2031 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 first-round pick swap (top-1 protected). The deal came as a shock to many around the league, as Dillingham was widely viewed as a true point guard capable of elevating Victor Wembanyama's touches and impact for the young Spurs.

Dillingham would have made sense at pick No. 4 if the Spurs wanted to quickly address their point guard situation, but after selecting Stephon Castle, it was clear that Dillingham wasn't the player they envisioned filling that role.

READ MORE: Spurs Select UConn Guard Stephon Castle With No. 4 Overall Pick

Perhaps it was his small frame that worried them.

Sure, players can find success with a small frame on offense — as Dillingham's shooting splits show — but the main concern with adding him comes on the defensive end. Dillingham lines up with some of the NBA's smallest players, but wasn't much of a standout on defense at Kentucky, which doesn't bode well for any team using their imagination to determine where he could fit on the court.

The Spurs have their reasons for choosing to send one of the top prospects of the draft to Minnesota for just a couple of picks, but they have yet to be seen. One explanation could be that they're eyeing a player on another team, and securing a few extra picks might help them build a package for him, while another could just be that they didn't see a prospect who would pan out long-term.

Whatever it might be, the deal is done. Dillingham won't spend a single minute in San Antonio, and is set to join a Timberwolves roster looking to make another big push at The NBA Finals. The kind of role he'll have there is going to be one of the bigger questions of their season, but for now, they can celebrate knowing they have a young guard with a high ceiling.

Meanwhile, the Spurs can place their focus on Castle.

He's their only first-round pick, after all.

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Matt Guzman

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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