Knicks’ G League team trades for Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 pick in 2024, as he tries to work his way back to the NBA

The Westchester Knicks, the G League affiliate of the New York Knicks, have acquired the returning player rights to Rob Dillingham in a trade with the Iowa Wolves, the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ affiliate. Westchester announced the deal on Friday night after Jake Fischer reported that it was done.

We have acquired the returning player rights to Rob Dillingham in a trade with the Iowa Wolves. pic.twitter.com/P2zvfSUNYR

— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) November 14, 2026

Dillingham, 21, was the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft. He is now set to play in the G League in an attempt to work his way back to the NBA. The move does not put him on the Knicks’ NBA roster, and it does not give New York exclusive rights to sign him to an NBA contract.

What Westchester gave up

According to the team’s announcement, Iowa receives three pieces:

• A future first-round pick in the NBA G League draft.
• A 2027 second-round pick in the G League draft, which originally belonged to the Wisconsin Herd and came to Westchester through the Greensboro Swarm and the Stockton Kings.
• The returning player rights to Tuburu Naivalurua.

All of the picks are G League draft picks, not NBA picks. Fischer had reported on Wednesday that Dillingham was signing into the G League and was expected to land in Westchester, depending on how the G League’s waiver process played out. The trade with Iowa settled that.

How a lottery pick ended up in the G League

Minnesota acquired Dillingham on draft night in 2024, hoping the quick guard from Kentucky would grow into a rotation player on a rookie-scale contract. He played a limited role as a rookie, averaging 4.5 points and 2.0 assists in 10.5 minutes over 49 games.

The Timberwolves traded him to the Chicago Bulls in February in the deal that sent Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota. Across 65 games for the two teams last season, he averaged 6.3 points and 2.2 assists in 14.9 minutes, shooting 39.6% from the field and 31.6% from three.

Chicago traded him to the Charlotte Hornets in late September, and the Hornets, facing a roster crunch, waived him a day later. He went unsigned through the start of the season. Fischer and Marc Stein reported last weekend that the Toronto Raptors had shown two-way interest before they signed Kevin McCullar Jr. to a two-way contract instead.

What it means for the Knicks

Westchester gives New York a close look at a former top-10 pick without using a standard roster spot or a two-way slot. He joins a group that includes two-way guards Jaden Akins and Dalton Knecht, the former Lakers first-round pick who signed a two-way deal with New York last month.

Like other G League players without an NBA deal, Dillingham can still sign with any NBA team. Any path back to the league would require a separate NBA contract, whether with the Knicks or someone else.