Rob Dillingham's season has undoubtedly been a massive letdown. With Nickeil Alexander-Walker leaving in free agency and Mike Conley aging, it was widely expected that Dillingham would take on a bigger role with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, Dillingham is averaging slightly fewer minutes, and it looks like he's lost a ton of confidence on offense. This season, Dillingham is averaging just 3.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 34.1/34.5/77.8 splits, and he has been out of the rotation since mid-December.
Even with Bones Hyland's emergence, the Timberwolves seemed primed to make a move at the trade deadline, especially for a point guard. Nevertheless, it's tough to figure out who the Wolves would trade given their cap situation. Furthermore, it's been reported that the Timberwolves are no longer interested in trading for a star-level guard.
As a result, Dillingham is one of the few true trade candidates. Recently, Jake Fischer confirmed that the Wolves' parting ways with Dillingham "is indeed on the table" for the Wolves. Despite Dillingham's down year, younger teams should be willing to roll the dice on the 2024 lottery pick.
"I have heard, by the way, that parting with Dillingham is indeed on the table," Fischer reported. "The Wolves were certainly aggressive in acquiring the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to select Dillingham, but he simply hasn't been able to fill Minnesota’s playmaking needs as quickly as hoped and could well benefit from a change of scenery."
Rob Dillingham's days in Minnesota appear to be numbered
Giving up on a recent lottery pick (who you traded up to draft) is far from ideal, and I firmly believe in Dillingham developing on a younger team. Nevertheless, Dillingham is too raw to develop on a competitive Wolves squad. It will be painful, but the Wolves must admit they made a mistake in trading up for Dillingham.
For a Wolves team with title aspirations, they need to do everything possible to maximize their championship chances. At this point, trading Dillingham (and other assets, whether that be a player or draft capital) for a quality rotational guard is in the Wolves' best interest.
Fischer mentioned that the Wolves are interested in a mid-tier-salaried player at the deadline. In addition to Dillingham, Fischer mentioned Mike Conley has a possible trade candidate. This admission somewhat surprised me, given Conley's importance as a veteran leader and notable relationship with the Wolves organization.
Nevertheless, it's a business at the end of the day, and trading Conley would help the Wolves. Perhaps Minnesota would do right by him and send him back to Memphis (likely in a three-team deal) to finish off his career.
Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton is a name that Fischer has reported the Wolves are interested in. This could involve a package of Dillingham and Conley. Going to his hometown team that is in the midst of a rebuild could allow Dillingham to get his career back on track. As we saw this summer, despite his on-court impact, being on an expiring contract lowered Sexton's trade value significantly.
Outside of Sexton, Tre Jones and Dennis Schroder could be other targets. Dillingham could flourish with Sacramento or Chicago. Despite Dillingham's struggles, his gifts as a shot creator and playmaker are undeniable -- he just needs a longer leash and a team committed to his development.
As of now, if the Wolves make a move at the deadline, it looks like that will involve Dillingham, and that's in the best interest of both parties.