2024 NBA Draft: Contending Timberwolves swing big by moving into lottery, landing Rob Dillingham

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft brought plenty of trade activity, but for all the league-wide buzz of veterans possibly moving teams, only Deni Avdija and Malcolm Brodgdon will be wearing new uniforms after Wednesday night’s events. A total of six first-round picks ultimately changed hands throughout the first 30 picks —Thursday’s second round begins at 4 p.m. ET — none of the deals more noteworthy than Minnesota trading a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, plus a top-1 protected 2030 first-round pick swap, league sources told Yahoo Sports, in exchange for San Antonio’s No. 8 pick and the right to select Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

Entering the night, Dillingham had interest as high as No. 5 from Detroit, San Antonio at No. 8, Utah at No. 10 and Miami at No. 15, sources said. There was word circulating among league personnel that both the Heat and Timberwolves were considering moves up to No. 9 with Memphis, sources said, in order to trade in front of the Jazz. It proved to be one spot sooner the Timberwolves sent their only first-round pick left in the cupboard to go get Dillingham. Minnesota will get access to its 2032 first-rounder once this draft concludes.

Rob Dillingham, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected during the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

It’s a massive gamble that Dillingham will grow into the optimal future running mate for Anthony Edwards in Minnesota’s backcourt once veteran table-setter Mike Conley ages out of the Timberwolves’ contending window. Dillingham weighs just 164 pounds at 6-foot-1, leaving various teams with concerns about his size and ability to defend. But Dillingham’s physical profile stands quite similar to that of Bones Hyland, the Clippers guard whom Minnesota president Tim Connelly once drafted when he was piloting the Denver Nuggets. And if there’s a roster that could compensate for any shortcomings guarding Dillingham’s position, it’s this nasty, long Timberwolves unit that boasted the league’s best defense over the 2023-24…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-draft-contending-timberwolves-swing-big-by-moving-into-lottery-landing-rob-dillingham-060335432.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-27 06:03:35

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