Much of their offseason, there have been talks by fans and pundits alike surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves' point guard situation. Mike Conley is turning 38 years old in two months. Rob Dillingham, selected eighth overall in 2024, saw uneven playing time as a rookie and was completely out of the postseason rotation.
There are some fans that want to see the Wolves make an upgrade at the position. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report came up with a four-team trade that would see Minnesota acquire a new point guard.
Trade involves Wolves dealing away Dillingham
Pincus’ four teams involved in his trade idea are the Timberwolves, Magic, Hawks, and Jazz. The details of that trade are as follows:
"Timberwolves receive:Eric Pincus
Anthony Black
Hawks receive:
Rob Dillingham
2031 second round pick from Timberwolves
$4.5 million trade exception
Jazz receive:
Kobe Bufkin
Bones Hyland
$1.1 million from Magic
Magic receive:
2026 protected first round pick from Hawks
2028 second round pick from Jazz
$8 million trade exception
"
So Minnesota would be ridding itself of Dillingham, Hyland (currently unsigned, would be dealt in a sign-and-trade), and a 2031 second-round pick.
Acquiring Black, in Pincus’ estimation, would improve the Wolves at point guard. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Black is a taller point guard (listed at 6-foot-7). Last season, he averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 24.2 minutes.
Black has struggled with his outside shooting
Drafted within a year of each other, Black is essentially a year older than Dillingham. The current Orlando guard turns 22 on January 20, while the second-year Minnesota guard turns 21 on January 4.
While the averages last season certainly favor Black, that also comes with more playing time. Per 36 minutes, Black averaged 14.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. Compare that to Dillingham’s per-36 averages of 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, and they are fairly similar with Dillingham distributing more.
While Dillingham didn’t shoot the three-ball all that well (33.8%), it came in a somewhat small sample size of 74 attempts. He connected on 44.4% of his 144 three-point tries during his one year at Kentucky. Black shot 30.1% from beyond the arc at Arkansas and is at 34.3% in two years with the Magic. He’s just 2-15 from three-point territory in seven playoff games.
Now with the size advantage, Black is the better defensive player. Dillingham’s offensive ceiling though seems to be quite higher than Black’s.
While it’s fun to think up hypothetical trades, this is one that Minnesota should reject if brought to their attention without much of a thought. Give Dillingham some run, as he played better in the six games last season that he saw more than 20 minutes.
Doesn't make much sense for Magic either
Let’s end by saying that this deal doesn’t seem to make much sense from the Magic’s standpoint either. They would be giving up Black, who is expected to be in their rotation, and not receive a player back for the upcoming season.
In a wide-open Eastern Conference, even more so due to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton injuries, it doesn’t seem like the type of trade Orlando should be making.