It was less than 19 months ago when the Minnesota Timberwolves made a 2024 draft day deal. They sent the San Antonio Spurs a 2031 first-round pick and the option to swap first-round picks in 2030 in exchange for the eighth overall pick.
With that selection, Minnesota selected guard Rob Dillingham out of Kentucky. The pick was a reasonable one as Dillingham could become the successor to now 38-year-old Mike Conley. Instead, Dillingham is currently out of the rotation as Chris Finch has completely soured on the idea of using him for meaningful minutes. Now, dealing him by the February 5 trade deadline could be a possibility.
In the latest Substack article from NBA insider Jake Fischer, he mostly talks about the latest on a Trae Young trade (shortly after, Young was traded to the Washington Wizards). Fischer brings up that the Timberwolves aren’t interested in Young, but he writes about how they can get involved in a smaller deal and involve Dillingham in it.
"I have heard, by the way, that parting with Dillingham is indeed on the table," Fischer said. "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."
This report stings but it isn't a shocker
It really shouldn’t surprise Wolves fans to read this. After an uneven rookie season, Dillingham is shooting a miserable 34.1% from the field this season. Dillingham has also been usurped by Bones Hyland in the rotation and has only been receiving garbage time action of late.
In 30 appearances this season, Dillingham has only reached double figures in scoring once, and that came way back on November 9 (11 points against the Sacramento Kings). The 6-foot-2 guard has received 5 DNPs since December 21.
If the Timberwolves were to trade Dillingham by February 5, it would be the end of a brief and disappointing tenure. For what the Timberwolves gave up, and trading into a 2024 NBA Draft that was universally seen as one of the weaker ones in recent memory, they surely had high hopes for Rob.
I still have belief in Dillingham, but a change of scenery might be necessary. That might be crazy to say about someone who just turned 21 (on January 4), but it’s evident that Finch just has no trust in utilizing him.
I’m not sure what value Rob has around the league (could Minnesota get even a heavily-protected first-round pick straight up for him?). Perhaps he is part of a larger deal to acquire a point guard for the Wolves. Not even two years into his NBA career, though, his value certainly isn’t what it was before he entered the league.