Timberwolves trade up with Spurs to snare Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham

The “second apron” of the salary cap is about to clamp down on the Timberwolves this offseason and limit how they can reshape their roster.

So during the first round of the NBA draft Wednesday, Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly took advantage of one of the only remaining levers he could pull to upgrade a team he and ownership believe is a championship contender.

Connelly swung a trade, his third in three drafts with the team, and dealt the only future first-round draft pick he could 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 were lacking at times in the playoffs: instant offense. To make the move, the Wolves gave up a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a protected 2030 pick swap.

“Playing with Anthony Edwards and the whole Timberwolves. … it’s really just a blessing because I get to learn from a lot of players and veterans that are real good,” Dillingham said. “Them helping me is just a plus for me.”

The Wolves still held on to the No. 27 pick in the deal, and with that took Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr., who can also add scoring prowess off the bench.

The 6-7 Shannon played last season while awaiting trail for rape and sexual assault stemming from an incident in a bar in Kansas in September. A jury acquitted Shannon earlier this month after a week-long trial in Kansas.

Dillingham, 19, averaged 15.2 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point range as a freshman and should have a role with the Wolves right away off the bench given the Wolves’ need for scoring pop.

The move was a loud-throated declaration from the organization that the Wolves feel their chance to win a championship is next season, and perhaps for a few years after, as they sacrificed more future draft capital, albeit six and seven years away. That doesn’t matter to a team that feels on the doorstep of winning a title.

Dillingham will make slightly less than $6.3 million next season as part of the rookie-scale contract, with the total value of his contract being worth $28.6 million.

The move was a big commitment from ownership, which 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 went up from $56 to $84 million next season with the trade for Dillingham.

With extensions to Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Karl-Anthony Towns coming on the books this season, Connelly, who dealt the team’s 2025, ’27 and ’29 picks to Utah for Rudy Gobert, swung for the fences with the only bit of first-round draft capital he had to deal in the ’31 pick.

The Wolves’ ability to move their 2032 pick was about to be frozen under the rules of exceeding the second apron of the luxury tax. The Wolves rendered that moot by trading the 2031 pick, since teams can’t deal first-round picks in consecutive years anyway. The Wolves also won’t be able to sign players (except their own free agents) to anything besides minimum contracts once free agency opens, per second apron rules. So one of their lone avenues for finding an impact player who can help them now and in the next few years was to make a splash in this draft.

Among Dillingham’s strengths are his quickness and his shooting; he has a fast release and can be a good finisher around the rim and is shifty in his ability to get past defenders.

His weaknesses are on the defensive end of the floor, and his thin frame (6-2, 164 pounds) make him vulnerable to attack on that end of the floor. But the Wolves might be able to find a way to compensate, as they had the league’s No. 1 defense in 2023-24.

“I feel like I’m quick and I can get past dudes,” Dillingham said. “… You’re playing with a bunch of NBA players, so players can’t really help off a lot because these are NBA players and they knock down shots. Getting past my defender and making plays with my teammates will be way easier, and if they don’t help, it’s just a bucket.”

Dillingham also can work on lowering his turnover rate after he averaged two per game in 23 minutes with Kentucky.

Shannon, 23, was a third-team All-America last season, staying on the team after suing for his right to continue playing while the legal process played out. 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 rim and use his strength to get there. That strength also allows him to get to the free-throw line at a high rate (8.6 attempts per game last season). His weaknesses include a low release point and a shot that can still use some work in improving efficiency (35% career three-point shooter).