The Charlotte Hornets, and every other team in the NBA, are preparing for the new season, and part of that process is trimming down the roster. In doing so, the Hornets have waived former No. 8 overall pick Rob Dillingham, who was a star during his time with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Dillingham was a four-star recruit who played with Overtime Elite during his high school days. From Hickory, North Carolina, Dillingham chose Kentucky over just about every other program in the country. He played in 32 games, starting just one of those. Dillingham was as much of a pure scorer for the Cats as fans had seen in quite some time. He averaged 15.2 points and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 47.5% from the field.
At the NBA level, the 6-foot-2 Dillingham never
truly found his home. He was taken by the Spurs in the draft but spent his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing in 49 games and averaging 4.5 points per game. Dillingham was traded on draft night and then was traded again, this time to the Chicago Bulls, on February 5, 2026.
After not really finding his footing in the Windy City, he was traded to the Hornets. Shams Charania is reporting that Dillingham has now been waived. Assuming he clears waivers, he'll be free to sign wherever he'd like.
The Charlotte Hornets are waiving former No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 28, 2026
Dillingham had arguably his best season as a rookie and hadn't been able to sustain that level of efficiency. During his second season in the league, he shot just 39.6% from the field. If he's able to find a groove with a new program, it'll be because he's able to be an efficient scoring weapon.
The talent is there, and still just 21 years old, there should be a team primed to take a chance that Dillingham can be a productive part of their bench for the foreseeable future.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Charlotte Hornets waive former Kentucky Wildcats standout guard
