Northwest Notes: Dillingham, Wolves, Blazers, Thunder, Topic
Due to team-building restrictions from the second tax apron, the Timberwolves knew they were limited in their ability to acquire impact players this summer. Instead of standing pat, they decided to make another aggressive move, trading an unprotected first-round pick in 2031 and a top-one protected 2030 first-round swap to the Spurs for the rights to Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 pick.
As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly views Dillingham as the top shot creator in the draft, a major need for a Minnesota team that struggled to score at times during the 2023/24 regular season and playoffs.
“I don’t know how we can achieve that in the next two or three years via free agency,” Connelly said. “We don’t want to trade our core guys. It’s pretty simplistic. I think we’ve checked a major box that we lacked last year.”
“He’s a guy who, from Day 1, is going to have a role and a responsibility,” Connelly continued, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Certainly it’s going to be hard for him. But I don’t think you’re that aggressive in the top 10 [of the draft] with a guy you don’t think can play right away.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Somak Sarkar, the former Timberwolves employee who was fired for stealing thousands of files, had a felony third-degree burglary charge dismissed but pled guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized computer access, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Sarkar is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9.
- Asked about using the No. 7 pick on Wednesday to draft Donovan Clingan with centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams already on the roster, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin downplayed the idea of a logjam up front, per Bill Oram of The Oregonian. “We’re not good enough to be content at any one position or even just at the starting positions,” Cronin said.
- Cronin also made an interesting comment when discussing the rest of the Trail Blazers‘ offseason, telling reporters, “We’re committed to Scoot (Henderson) and Shaedon (Sharpe) being a massive part of what we’re doing, and how do we find ways to give them the support they need and maximize their development?” As Oram points out, there was no mention of guard Anfernee Simons there alongside his backcourt mates, which may be a hint that Portland doesn’t view Simons as part of the team’s young long-term core.
- Serbian guard Nikola Topic, whom the Thunder selected 12th overall on Wednesday, said he has never been to Oklahoma and had no clue which team would draft him, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Head of basketball operations Sam Presti said he doesn’t expect the 18-year-old to play in 2024/25 due to his partially torn ACL, but Topic will spend what could end up being a redshirt season around the team.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Decline Option, Become Free Agent
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has decided to decline his $15.4MM player option with the Nuggets for the 2024/25 season, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran wing will become an unrestricted free agent.
The decision doesn’t necessarily mean Caldwell-Pope won’t return to Denver, but the Nuggets figure to face plenty of competition for the three-and-D specialist. Multiple teams with cap room are expected to pursue him, per Charania and Jones.
Caldwell-Pope, 31, played an important role on the Lakers team that won a title in 2020 and the Nuggets squad that won the 2023 championship. He has knocked down 40.3% of his three-point attempts over the last five seasons and is a strong perimeter defender.
While Denver would obviously like to bring back its starting shooting guard, a strong offer for Caldwell-Pope would likely push the team’s salary above the restrictive second tax apron. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth expressed a desire to re-sign Caldwell-Pope but suggested that the team has contingency plans prepared – including potentially sliding Christian Braun into the starting five – in the event that KCP leaves.
“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”
The Sixers and Magic are among the cap-room teams who have been mentioned as possible suitors for Caldwell-Pope, the No. 11 free agent on our top-50 list.
2024 NBA Offseason Trades
As we did with last year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2023/24, Hoops Rumors will be keeping track of all of the trades made this offseason, right up until the start of the 2024/25 season, updating this post with each transaction.
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. If a trade has not yet been formally finalized, it will be listed in italics. The terms or structures of those deals could still change before they’re officially completed.
For our full story on each trade, click on the date above it. For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.
We’ll continue to update this list with the latest specific details on picks and other compensation, as they’re reported.
Here’s the full list of the NBA’s 2024 offseason trades:
2024/25 League Year
- Spurs acquire Jalen McDaniels, the Kings’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash ($2MM).
- Kings acquire the Bulls’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Knicks acquire Karl-Anthony Towns and the draft rights to James Nnaji.
- Timberwolves acquire Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and the Pistons’ 2025 first-round pick (top-13 protected; from Knicks).
- Hornets acquire DaQuan Jeffries (sign-and-trade), Charlie Brown Jr. (sign-and-trade), Duane Washington (sign-and-trade), either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Timberwolves), the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick (from Knicks), the Knicks’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash ($7.24MM; from Knicks).
- Hawks acquire David Roddy.
- Suns acquire E.J. Liddell.
- Nets acquire Ziaire Williams and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Grizzlies acquire Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic.
- Clippers acquire Kris Dunn (sign-and-trade).
- Jazz acquire Russell Westbrook, the right to swap their own 2030 second-round pick for the Clippers’ 2030 second-round pick, the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica, and cash ($4,327,525).
- Kings acquire DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade).
- Bulls acquire Chris Duarte, RaiQuan Gray (two-way), the Kings’ 2025 second-round pick, the Kings’ 2028 second-round pick, and cash ($2MM; from Kings).
- Spurs acquire Harrison Barnes and the right to swap their own 2031 first-round pick for the Kings’ 2031 first-round pick.
- Mavericks acquire Klay Thompson (sign-and-trade) and either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable; from Hornets/Nuggets).
- Warriors acquire Kyle Anderson (sign-and-trade) and Buddy Hield (sign-and-trade).
- Hornets acquire Josh Green, Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets’ 2029 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Timberwolves acquire either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Hornets/Nuggets), the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick for the Warriors’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash ($1.1MM; from Warriors).
- Sixers acquire the Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick.
- Nuggets acquire cash ($110K; from Hornets).
- Knicks acquire Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Nets acquire Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick (their own or the Suns’; whichever is most favorable) for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Pelicans acquire Dejounte Murray.
- Hawks acquire Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller (sign-and-trade), the Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick, and either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-four protected).
- Pistons acquire Wendell Moore and the draft rights to Bobi Klintman (No. 37 pick).
- Grizzlies acquire the draft rights to Cam Spencer (No. 53 pick).
- Raptors acquire the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick).
- Timberwolves acquire the Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick (top-50 protected) and cash ($1.4MM; from Raptors).
- Hornets acquire Devonte’ Graham and the Pelicans’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Spurs acquire cash ($110K).
- Wizards acquire Jonas Valanciunas (sign-and-trade).
- Pelicans acquire the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (top-50 protected).
- Trail Blazers acquire Deni Avdija.
- Wizards acquire Malcolm Brogdon; the draft rights to Carlton Carrington (No. 14 pick); either the Trail Blazers’, Celtics’, or Bucks’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable); the Warriors’ 2028 second-round pick; and the Trail Blazers’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Warriors acquire the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick).
- Trail Blazers acquire cash ($2.5MM).
- Pacers acquire the draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35 pick).
- Spurs acquire the draft rights to Juan Nunez (No. 36 pick) and cash ($1MM).
- Pistons acquire Tim Hardaway Jr., the Raptors’ 2025 second-round pick, the Heat’s 2028 second-round pick, and either the Clippers’ or Hornets’ 2028 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Mavericks acquire Quentin Grimes.
2023/24 League Year
- Raptors acquire Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (No. 45 pick), and the Trail Blazers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Kings acquire Jalen McDaniels.
- Suns acquire the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Kevin McCullar (No. 56 pick) and the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected).
- Thunder acquire the draft rights to Ajay Mitchell (No. 38 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) and cash ($500K).
- Thunder acquire the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick).
- Trail Blazers acquire the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick) and cash.
- Warriors acquire Lindy Waters.
- Thunder acquire the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick).
- Mavericks acquire the draft rights to Melvin Ajinca (No. 51 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (No. 58 pick), the draft rights to Petteri Koponen, and cash ($1MM).
- Pelicans acquire the draft rights to Antonio Reeves (No. 47 pick).
- Magic acquire the right to swap their own 2030 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2030 second-round pick and the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2031 second-round pick.
- Rockets acquire AJ Griffin.
- Hawks acquire the draft rights to Nikola Djurisic (No. 43 pick).
- Heat acquire the draft rights to Pelle Larsson (No. 44 pick) and cash (from Hawks).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Tyler Kolek (No. 34 pick).
- Trail Blazers acquire the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Pacers’ or Wizards’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and the Knicks’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Thunder acquire the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick).
- Knicks acquire either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable); the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick; the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), and either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is third-most favorable).
- Wizards acquire the draft rights to Kyshawn George (No. 24 pick).
- Knicks acquire the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick) and the No. 51 pick in the 2024 draft.
- Nuggets acquire the draft rights to DaRon Holmes (No. 22 pick).
- Suns acquire the draft rights to Ryan Dunn (No. 28 pick), the No. 56 pick in the 2024 draft, the Nuggets’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2031 second-round pick.
- Timberwolves acquire the draft rights to Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick).
- Spurs acquire the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick and the right to swap their 2030 first-round pick for the Timberwolves’ 2030 first-round pick (top-one protected).
- Nets acquire their own 2026 first-round pick and control of their own 2025 first-round pick (negating the Rockets’ right to swap either their own 2025 first-rounder or the Thunder’s 2025 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s pick).
- Note: The Nets’ 2026 first-round pick was previously traded to the Rockets.
- Rockets acquire the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick; either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable); the right to swap either their own 2025 first-round pick or the Thunder’s 2025 first-round pick for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick; and the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick for either the Mavericks’ or Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Thunder acquire Alex Caruso.
- Bulls acquire Josh Giddey.
Suns’ Eric Gordon To Opt For Free Agency
Suns veteran wing Eric Gordon will turn down his $3.36MM player option for the 2024/25 season and become an unrestricted free agent, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While a recent report from The Athletic had indicated that Gordon was “50-50” on his player option decision, plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 subsequently stated that he didn’t expect the 35-year-old to be back in Phoenix next season. According to Charania, multiple contenders are expected to pursue Gordon.
Gordon is no longer the 20+ PPG scorer that he was earlier in his career, but the 16-year veteran has remained a reliable rotation piece for contending teams in recent years. After accepting a minimum-salary contract to join the Suns last summer, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .443/.378/.797.
During his foray into free agency in 2023, Gordon prioritized the ability to play a significant role for a contending team over seeking out the most lucrative offer, since he almost certainly could’ve earned more than the veteran’s minimum from another club. We’ll see if his priorities remain the same this summer.
Gordon is one of four Suns who had a player option decision to make by June 29 and will join Drew Eubanks among those who are opting out. Josh Okogie‘s and Damion Lee‘s decisions have yet to be reported.
Free Agent Rumors: KCP, Nuggets, DeRozan, Williams, Jones, Hartenstein
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth made it clear that the team wants to retain potential free agent wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but is prepared for the possibility of losing him. Caldwell-Pope has until Saturday to decide whether or not he’ll pick up his 2024/25 player option.
“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”
As Durando notes, Booth identified third-year swingman Christian Braun as the top candidate to replace Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup if necessary, citing Braun’s net rating in various lineups as a positive indicator for his ability to take on a larger role.
“I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling,” Booth said. “… I think if (Braun) has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”
Booth added that the Nuggets have interest in re-signing veteran free agents DeAndre Jordan and Justin Holiday, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).
Here are a few more free agency rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- There has been “growing buzz” that DeMar DeRozan won’t be back with the Bulls next season, whether he simply walks as a free agent or departs via sign-and-trade, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Within his latest Substack article, Marc Stein relays that his podcast partner Chris Haynes said extension talks between the Bulls and DeRozan have “gone cold,” increasing the likelihood that the veteran forward reaches the open market.
- On the other hand, “all signs” point to the Bulls re-signing free agent forward Patrick Williams, says Johnson. Chicago was the first team to officially tender a qualifying offer to a free agent this summer, issuing Williams a QO on Monday to ensure he’ll be a restricted free agent.
- There have been “league-wide rumblings” that the Magic have interest in point guard Tyus Jones, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes within a breakdown of the draft’s first day. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent and is widely expected to command a salary above the mid-level; the Magic will have the cap room necessary to make him a competitive offer if they so choose.
- Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein is another potential target to watch for Orlando. With Hartenstein nearing unrestricted free agency, Stein writes at his Substack that the Magic and Thunder continue to be named most frequently by rival executives as potential suitors for the big man.
Knicks Trade No. 24 Pick Kyshawn George To Wizards
JUNE 27: The Knicks have officially confirmed (via Twitter) that their deal with the Wizards has been finalized.
JUNE 26: The Wizards have agreed to acquire the No. 24 overall pick from the Knicks and are using it to draft Miami guard Kyshawn George, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Washington is giving up the 26th and 51th overall selections in exchange for George’s rights.
The Knicks had controlled both the No. 24 and No. 25 picks, so the Wizards presumably felt as if New York would use one of those selections to nab George, or that another team would move up ahead of them for the former Hurricane.
In his freshman season at Miami, George averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .426/.408/.778. The Wizards will make the freshman wing their third draft pick of the night — he joins No. 2 pick Alexandre Sarr and No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington on the retooling squad, which is going all-in on player development and building through the draft.
The Knicks, meanwhile, essentially agreed to push their consecutive first-round picks by one spot – they now control the 25th and 26th picks instead of Nos. 24 and 25 – and acquired an extra second-round selection for their trouble.
They’ll reportedly flip that No. 26 pick to the Thunder in exchange for five future second-round picks.
Trade/Draft Rumors: Kuzma, Kings, Kispert, Durant, Raptors, More
Exploring a potential deal for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma on Wednesday, the Kings discussed a framework that would have sent their No. 13 overall pick to Washington as part of the package and moved Sacramento down to No. 26, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. If that deal had happened, the Wizards would’ve had a third lottery pick to go along with No. 2 and No. 14, but no agreement was reached and Washington ultimately traded up from No. 26 to No. 24 instead.
Still, after agreeing to trade Deni Avdija to Portland on Wednesday, it seems safe to assume the Wizards will continue to listen to inquiries on their veteran players, including Kuzma, Fischer writes. Fischer has also heard that fourth-year Washington sharpshooter Corey Kispert is generating trade interest from rival teams (Twitter link).
Here are a few more trade and draft rumors as we prepare for day two of the 2024 draft:
- Just in case more confirmation was required after various reports – and team owner Mat Ishbia – stated that the Suns have no plans to trade Kevin Durant, general manager James Jones reiterated that message on Wednesday night, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s the stuff that gets clicks and that everyone wants to talk about, but I think I said it specifically back on May 19th when I was asked are we trading Kevin Durant,” Jones said. “I said no then, I’ll say no now. I’ll continue to get asked.”
- According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Raptors are expected to receive significant interest in the No. 31 pick ahead of the resumption of the draft on Thursday, with presumed first-round picks like Johnny Furphy, Kyle Filipowski, and Tyler Kolek still on the board (those are also the top three remaining prospects on ESPN’s best-available list). Vecenie has Furphy penciled in at No. 31 in his mock draft of the second round, writing that most league sources expected the Kansas wing to be drafted in the top 23.
- Former G League Ignite big man Tyler Smith is viewed as another prospect who could entice a team to trade for an early second-round pick, Fischer reports.
- Elsewhere in his second-round mock, Vecenie says Spanish point guard Juan Nunez has been connected to the Timberwolves by league sources throughout the pre-draft process, while San Francisco forward/center Jonathan Mogbo has been frequently linked to the Knicks. Minnesota and New York currently control the 37th and 38th picks, respectively, with New York also picking at No. 51.
Southwest Notes: Ingram, Cash, Rockets, Sheppard, Kennard, Clarke
With trade rumors swirling around forward Brandon Ingram, Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin spoke to reporters on Wednesday night about where things stand with the former All-Star, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com relays (via Twitter). Griffin didn’t explicitly say Ingram wouldn’t be traded this offseason, but suggested the situation is a complicated one.
“Brandon wants to stay here,” Griffin said. “He believes in what we are building. That is meaningful to us. That’s meaningful to him. That’s meaningful to his agent. At the same time, there is a financial reality that we all deal with. I think we’re excited about Brandon. We know he’s excited about us. Usually, those things yield good results one way or the other.”
Reports have indicated that the Pelicans are unwilling to put a maximum-salary contract extension on the table for Ingram this offseason as he enters the final year of his current contract, making him a logical candidate to be on the move in a deal that upgrades another area of New Orleans’ roster.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- On the heels of losing a handful of front office executives this offseason, the Pelicans are promoting former WNBA star Swin Cash to senior vice president of basketball operations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cash, who has been in New Orleans’ basketball operations department since 2019, is one of the highest-ranking women by title in any NBA front office, Charania notes.
- Speaking to reporters after the first round of the draft on Wednesday, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston considered Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard to be the top prospect in this draft and would have likely tried to trade out of No. 3 if he hadn’t been on the board (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
- With the deadline to exercise Luke Kennard‘s $14.8MM team option now just two days away, GM Zach Kleiman said the Grizzlies “still feel very strongly about Luke as someone who’s a great fit as part of this group,” writes Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While Kennard is one of the NBA’s best shooters, Memphis has potential luxury tax concerns to consider as it weighs the decision on his 2024/25 option. One recent report indicated he might be a trade candidate if the option is exercised.
- Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke hopes to get a chance to represent his home country in international competition at some point, but it won’t happen this summer. Clarke, who missed most of the 2023/24 season while recovering from an Achilles tear, explained on Tuesday why he wasn’t on the preliminary Olympic roster recently released by Team Canada. “It’s tough for me,” he said, according to Dylan. “I have to work on my rehab still. I’m still really working on my calf rehab, I didn’t get to have the summer that I wanted the past couple summers. There might be a time where I can play in the future, but as of right now my time is best spent doing my own thing and getting ready for the season.”
Presti: Thunder Don’t Expect Nikola Topic To Play In 2024/25
Nearly two years after their No. 2 overall pick (Chet Holmgren) suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for his entire rookie season, the Thunder used their 2024 lottery pick on another player they expect to have a redshirt season.
Head of basketball operations Sam Presti told reporters on Wednesday that Oklahoma City isn’t counting on 12th overall pick Nikola Topic being available to play in the NBA in 2024/25.
“Our expectation is that he probably won’t be playing for us next season,” Presti said of the Serbian point guard, who suffered a partially torn ACL earlier this year (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman).
Topic is still expected to join the Thunder shortly and spend his rookie year around the team like Holmgren did in 2022/23, Presti confirmed (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). That experience benefited Holmgren, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting this spring after averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per contest while starting all 82 games for the Thunder.
New rules implemented in the 2023 CBA related to prospects’ medical info ensured that the Thunder got the opportunity to view Topic’s medicals prior to the draft . They were comfortable with everything they saw in regard to his knee, Presti said (Twitter link via Stiles).
Timberwolves Acquire No. 8 Pick Rob Dillingham From Spurs
11:17pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.
8:04pm: The Spurs used the No. 8 pick in tonight’s draft on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, but he won’t begin his NBA career in San Antonio, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Timberwolves are acquiring Dillingham’s rights from the Spurs.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), San Antonio is receiving Minnesota’s unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap in the deal. The ’30 swap will be top-one protected, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Neither of the Wolves’ 2024 picks (No. 27 and No. 37) are involved in the trade, confirms Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Minnesota’s ability to make roster moves this offseason will be extremely limited due to the fact that team salary will be above the second tax apron. That means the Wolves won’t be able to aggregate players in trades, take back more salary than they send out in trades, or sign outside free agents to contracts worth more than the minimum.
However, the second apron doesn’t prohibit them from acquiring a player’s draft rights, which don’t count as incoming salary for trade purposes as long as the player has not yet signed his rookie contract. That means they’ll be able to trade for Dillingham without sending out any players.
In his first and only college season with the Wildcats, Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game, posting an impressive shooting line of .475/.444/.796
Despite the Wolves’ ongoing ownership dispute, it appears management has been given the go-ahead to keep adding pieces. The addition of Dillingham, who projects to earn about $6.28MM as a rookie, will increase the club’s projected tax bill to approximately $100MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) estimates Minnesota’s projected tax bill at $84MM, but that number is fluid depending on how the club fills out its roster.
As for the Spurs, after adding Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick, they clearly weren’t in love with any of the prospects available to them at No. 8, opting instead to continue adding to their stockpile of future draft picks by acquiring a pair of assets far down the road with little to no protection.
Clearing the $6.28MM cap hold for the No. 8 pick from their books will put the Spurs in position to create additional cap room this summer.