2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham never lived up to expectations with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and trading up for him clearly backfired. However, observers often debated whether Dillingham simply wasn't ready to contribute or Chris Finch was holding him back. At this past deadline, he got a fresh start with the Chicago Bulls, as the Wolves packaged him as part of a deal for Ayo Dosunmu.
And the Bulls didn't even get to see him for a full season before trading him. On Saturday, they shipped him to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal for Buddy Hield.
The Bulls trading Rob Dillingham is a vote of no confidence
The Bulls are in the middle of a rebuild and could use some guard support. Currently, Tre Jones is the Bulls' true backup guard. If the rebuilding, guard-needy Bulls didn't have room for Dillingham, just imagine how hard it would have been for him to succeed on a competitive Wolves squad.
Only getting an over-the-hill Buddy Hield back highlights their priorities and how unfavorably they viewed Dillingham. Sure, Hield can provide some 3-point shooting, but he turns 34 this season, offers limited all-around impact, and is actually coming off a career-worst shooting season. Simply put, he's not a valuable player.
There's no denying that trading Dillingham is a clear vote of no confidence in the 21-year-old guard from the Bulls. In fairness, the Bulls front office has changed hands since they landed Dillingham. New lead executive Bryson Graham's basketball philosophy centers around size, length, physicality, and athleticism, which doesn't fit Dillingham at all. And to be clear, I wouldn't have given up on Dillingham so soon if I were Graham.
Again, though, it's pretty damning that the Bulls punted on Dillingham so quickly, and this highlights why he never had a real shot to make an impact with the Wolves.
Rob Dillingham has a lot of work to do to become a quality NBA player
As a rookie, Dillingham failed to crack the Wolves' rotation, but in his second season, he was primed to earn a bigger role with Nickeil Alexander-Walker leaving in free agency. Still, he averaged just 9.3 minutes, 3.5 points, and 1.7 assists on 33.3/36.4/75 shooting splits.
After nearly two months of erratic minutes, Bones Hyland jumped Dillingham in the rotation and became a key part of the Wolves' rotation. Given how much Dillingham struggled during his limited minutes, I don't think you could totally blame Finch, and this trade clearly vindicates him.
In 30 games with the Bulls, Dillingham averaged 9.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 42.8/30/74.3 shooting splits. While his numbers improved with the Bulls, it clearly wasn't enough for him to stick around, and he didn't shoot the ball well.
As a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard, Dillingham faces an uphill battle for NBA success. Struggling on defense and to finish around the rim is to be expected at this size. Regardless, the major concern is that Dillingham's shot hasn't translated to the NBA level. He shot 44.4 percent from deep range in college, but has netted just 32.4 percent of his 3s in the NBA.
An undersized guard who can't shoot and isn't a high-level playmaker is a tough archetype to find success stories with. Frankly, his offensive game has looked far from NBA-caliber, and it shouldn't be a surprise that he couldn't find minutes on a competitive Wolves team.
Thus, either Dillingham's shooting needs to improve rapidly, or he needs to improve his court vision and become a high-level playmaker. Otherwise, teams will soon stop giving him real NBA chances; the league is that talented.
Even with a younger Hornets squad, it's unclear where Dillingham's minutes will come from. Coby White, Dennis Schroder, and Christian Anderson will all likely be given priority over him. I'll be rooting for Dillingham, as I've always enjoyed his game, but this is just the reality of the situation.
Overall, one rebuilding team giving up on Dillingham, and him possibly unable to crack the rotation on another, it's safe to say in retrospect he was never going to work out with the Timberwolves.
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