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San Antonio selects UConn’s Stephon Castle at No. 4, trades No. 8 pick

Castle was the 2023-24 Big East Freshman of the Year; Dillingham was the 2023-24 SEC Sixth Man of the Year

NBA commissioner Adam Silver, third from right, poses for a photo with some of the potential first-round selections before the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) (Julia Nikhinson, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs made plenty of noise on Day 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft.

San Antonio selected guard Stephon Castle with the No. 4 overall pick out of Connecticut. Moments later, the Spurs took Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham with the No. 8 pick.

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However, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said that Dillingham will not go to San Antonio.

Wojnarowski said the Minnesota Timberwolves are acquiring Dillingham from the Spurs. In exchange, San Antonio will receive the right to swap Minnesota’s protected first-round draft pick in 2030 and its 2031 unprotected first-round draft pick.

The Spurs confirmed the trade late Wednesday night.

San Antonio and Minnesota worked on a draft-night deal for the second time in two years.

Last year, the Spurs received two future second-round picks from the Timberwolves while Minnesota acquired the No. 33 overall pick from San Antonio.

That 2023 second-round pick became G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller.

Dillingham scored 474 points as a reserve in 31 of 32 games during the 2023-24 season. The Southeastern Conference named Dillingham as its Sixth Man of the Year.

Before San Antonio selected Dillingham at No. 8, the Detroit Pistons took Texas native and G League Ignite guard Ron Holland at No. 5. The Charlotte Hornets took French power forward Tidjane Salaun with the No. 6 pick.

Castle’s UConn teammate, center Donovan Clingan, was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7 overall.

The Spurs chose Castle after the Houston Rockets took guard Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky at No. 3. The Washington Wizards selected 7-footer Alex Sarr out of France at No. 2.

The Atlanta Hawks picked small forward Zaccharie Risacher, Sarr’s fellow Frenchman, as the top overall selection.

Castle averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the national championship-winning Huskies. He was also a unanimous selection for 2023-24 Big East Freshman of the Year.

San Antonio currently owns two second-round picks (No. 35 and No. 48 overall).

Both second-round picks will be made Thursday afternoon.


About the Author
Nate Kotisso headshot

Nate Kotisso joined KSAT as a digital journalist in 2024. He previously worked as a newspaper reporter in the Rio Grande Valley for more than two years and spent nearly three years as a digital producer at the CBS station in Oklahoma City.

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