Timberwolves trade with Spurs to snag Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham

The salary cap’s “second apron” will hit the Timberwolves hard in the offseason and limit their opportunities to reshape their roster.

That’s why Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly used one of the few remaining levers at his disposal during the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday to improve a team that he and the owners consider a championship contender.

Connelly made a trade, his third in three drafts with the team, trading the only future first-round draft pick he could get under NBA rules to the San Antonio Spurs to grab the No. 8 pick and select Kentucky combo guard Rob Dillingham.

Dillingham can provide something the Wolves lacked at times in the playoffs: instant offense. To make the move possible, the Wolves gave up an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a protected 2030 pick swap.

“Playing with Anthony Edwards and all the Timberwolves … is really a blessing because I get to learn from a lot of players and veterans who are really good,” Dillingham said. “Having them help me is just a plus for me.”

The Wolves still held on to the number 27 of the deal and used it to get Illinois winger Terrence Shannon Jr., who also has strong scoring potential as a substitute.

The 6-foot-4 Shannon played last season while awaiting trial on rape and sexual assault charges stemming from an incident at a Kansas bar in September. A jury acquitted Shannon earlier this month after a week-long trial in Kansas.

Dillingham, 19, averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 44% from three-point range as a freshman, and should be a key player off the bench right away given the Wolves’ need for scoring talent.

The move was a loud statement from the organization that the Wolves believe their chance to win a championship lies next season, and perhaps in the years after that, as they sacrificed more future draft capital, albeit six or seven years from now. That doesn’t matter for a team that believes it’s on the verge of a championship.

Dillingham will earn just under $6.3 million on his rookie-scale contract next season, with the total value of his contract being $28.6 million.

The move was a big commitment by the owners, who will pay the luxury tax for the first time since the 2019-20 season. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Wolves’ luxury tax bill rose from $56 million to $84 million next season with the Dillingham trade.

With contract extensions involving Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Karl-Anthony Towns taking effect this season, Connelly, who traded the team’s 2025, 2027 and 2029 draft picks to Utah in exchange for Rudy Gobert, has gone all in with the only bit of first-round draft capital he could muster for the 1931 draft pick.

The Wolves’ ability to move their 2032 pick was supposed to be frozen due to the rules for crossing the second apron of the luxury tax. The Wolves made that moot by trading the 2031 pick, since teams can’t trade first-round picks in consecutive years anyway. The Wolves also won’t be able to sign players (other than their own free agents) to anything other than minimum contracts after free agency begins, per second apron rules. So one of their only options to find an impact player who can help them now and for years to come was to make a splash in this draft.

Dillingham’s strengths include his speed and shooting ability. He releases the ball quickly, is a good finisher at the basket and is adept at getting past defenders.

His weaknesses lie defensively, and his thin frame (6’2″, 165 lbs) makes him vulnerable to attacks there. But the Wolves could find a way to make up for that, as they had the best defense in the league in 2023/24.

“I feel like I’m fast and I can get by guys,” Dillingham said. “…You’re playing with a lot of NBA players, so the other players can’t really help much because they’re NBA players and they’re making the shots. Getting by my defender and playing with my teammates is going to be a lot easier, and if they don’t help, it’s just one basket.”

Dillingham can also work on reducing his turnover rate after averaging two per game in 23 minutes at Kentucky.

Shannon, 23, was a third-team All-America player last season and stayed with the team after suing for his right to continue playing during the court case. He averaged 23 points per game for the Illini, who won the Big Ten tournament at Target Center. Shannon played five seasons in college, the first three at Texas Tech.

His strengths include his ability to drive to the basket and use his strength to get there. This strength also allows him to get to the free throw line frequently (8.6 attempts per game last season). His weaknesses include a low release point and a shot that still needs work on efficiency (35% three-point shooting in his career).