San Antonio gets “fair value” for Rob Dillingham, No. 8 pick

San Antonio Spurs general manager Brian Wright declined to comment on the surprise trade that sent point guard Rob Dillingham from the Kentucky Wildcats to Minnesota with the No. 8 pick during his media appearance following Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft.

After signing their point guard in Stephon Castle, a recent NCAA tournament winner with the UConn Huskies, the Spurs seemed to like the draft’s early prospects and would draft another just four picks later.

And for about 30 minutes, the public believed this to be true.

Dillingham was drafted, social media graphics were created to celebrate the start of the “Rob Dillingham-Victor Wembanyama era,” and it seemed like the Spurs were going for the best player available rather than the needs of the team as a whole. Why else would they draft two point guards?

Well, as it turns out, that wasn’t the case. The No. 8 pick belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves and was acquired just minutes after the Spurs selected it. Dillingham went north for a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

When Spurs general manager Brian Wright was asked about the surprising move, he initially declined to comment. His reasoning? The choice had “not yet been ratified” by the NBA.

Without further explanation, some speculated that San Antonio wanted to make a deal for a veteran with the extra pick they received, while others believed it was just another sign that they were being patient. Dillingham was considered one of the big winners of the draft, so it was puzzling that he was sent away for picks seven years later.

But Wright offered an explanation, albeit a brief and succinct one.

“We felt the package we got made sense,” Wright explained. “It was a fair price.”

“Of course, this is an eleven-year-old,” he added jokingly. “But what you can do with it could potentially have an impact.”

Now, the Spurs have a wealth of future first- and second-round picks that they could still use on a deal for a veteran star this offseason. The simple implication is that these picks are exactly what they sound like: future players. The more complex path, however, is that the Spurs use them on a veteran star this offseason or at the trade deadline. This has been discussed quite a bit.

How the young team will proceed remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: plans will not be disclosed. Not many even saw the transfer coming, and certainly not many can predict who Spurs might target if they do indeed decide to sign a star.

“We always have to regroup after that time to make sure everything is going right,” Wright said. “But the group has done a really good job of identifying opportunities that will allow us to build a team.”

Maybe that’s a good thing. You let “the group” take the reins behind the scenes without much being known. No distractions. That’s the Spurs way.

But as time has shown, patience is also important. The next big star to wear a Spurs shirt could just as easily be 13 years old now.

Or maybe, as Wright joked, 11.