Spurs look genius for Rob Dillingham trade as guard hits new low

The San Antonio Spurs traded the draft rights to Rob Dillingham for a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 swap in a genius move. San Antonio took Stephon Castle with the fourth overall pick in 2024 and had the eighth selection. Many predicted they would take Dillingham and remake their backcourt. The Spurs hadn’t traded for De’Aaron Fox or drafted Dylan Harper at this point. Still, San Antonio wisely steered clear of Dillingham.

The Timberwolves gave up on the undersized and traded him to Chicago before the 2026 deadline. Minnesota is chasing a championship and needs help in the backcourt. Dillingham wasn’t the answer, so the Wolves moved on midway through his second NBA season.

Things have only gotten worse for Dillingham in Chicago. He is finally getting a chance to play, but the results have been disastrous. The Spurs still have a first-round pick and swap rights incoming as they wisely steered clear on this one.

Spurs’ Rob Dillingham trade looks better by the day

Dillingham averaged 20.3 minutes per game over his first eight with the Bulls. He was shooting just 37.9 percent from the field and an abysmal 21.4 percent on his 3-point tries as Chicago lost every time out.

The Bulls are rebuilding and should be playing their young players. Sadly, Dillingham was limited to just five minutes on Sunday as they finally got a win. Chicago lost his playing time by six points in a game they won by 23. That just continued an ugly trend for the young guard.

Chicago has been outscored by 42 points in his 167 minutes so far, which further underscores the problem. Dillingham is a negative on the defensive end and is not making shots. The undersized guard was supposed to be a bucket that made up for his defense with scoring and playmaking. Instead, Dillingham has been a negative on both ends and is bordering on bust status.

The Spurs took the best player in the 2024 draft class with the fourth overall pick, and wisely traded away their second lottery selection in a subpar year. Castle is a future star and already untouchable in trade talks. San Antonio didn’t want Dillingham and passed on Matas Buzelis, Nikola Topic, and Jarred McCain to make this deal. They clearly thought that the Wolves' pick in 2031 and a swap in 2030 would be better than anyone left on the board.

So far, that looks like a wise call. The two best players available were Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey. The Spurs have Victor Wembanyama and had no desire to build a twin-towers roster with two players who are best at the five. San Antonio made a risky move, especially without knowing Fox or Harper would land in their laps. Fortune favored the bold on this one.

The Spurs are never afraid to make a difficult decision. Letting Jeremy Sochan go wasn’t easy, but the Knicks are quickly learning why. San Antonio is usually right, and things are no different here.

The Dillingham trade looks genius, but the Spurs still have to convert the draft choices into players that help them win for this to be a home run. San Antonio doesn't get anything until 2030 from this trade, so fans still have years to wait. Still, they are certainly not upset that the Spurs passed on Rob Dillingham.

The San Antonio Spurs masterfully built their roster around Victor Wembanyama to be a title contender for years to come. Fans are already seeing the fruits, and this move was crucial to the success. Nobody should be surprised that the Spurs nailed it.