Former Toronto Raptors first-round pick Gradey Dick is open to a trade from the team after seeing limited playing time this season.
According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Dick is open to being traded from the Raptors, who made him the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Sources told Grange that Dick is open to being moved after he played sparingly following the All-Star break this season, and fell out of the team’s rotation in the playoffs. The Raptors may be facing a potential cap crunch this offseason, so moving off Dick’s final year of guaranteed money on his rookie contract could be a way to get out of that crunch, writes Grange.
“Something in the $6-million range would likely keep the Raptors under the tax for next season but he might get more from others. The Raptors could likely free up more money by trading 2023 first-round pick Gradey Dick into another team’s cap space this summer, something the third-year wing would be amenable to, per sources, given he was locked out of meaningful minutes after the all-star break,” the longtime Raptors’ scribe wrote.
Gradey Dick Hasn’t Panned Out as Hoped for Toronto
When the Raptors used the 13th overall pick in 2023 to draft Dick out of Kansas, the hope was that he could be someone who would start for the team for many years to come. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t panned out as the team had hoped.
After a decent rookie season in 2023-24, where he averaged 8.5 points and shot .365% from 3-point land, Dick made a big leap in his sophomore year in 2024-25, averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, shooting .350 3P% while playing 29.4 minutes in 54 games.
It looked like he would be a valuable member of the Raptors’ rotation this year heading into it, but he took a huge step backwards. In 78 games this year, Dick averaged just 6 points and shot just .300 from 3-point land. He also saw his minutes cut to 14 per game, and he only played 4 total minutes in the Raptors’ first-round playoff series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, essentially being banished from the team’s rotation. No wonder, then, that he would be amenable to a potential trade.
Potential Landing Spots for Gradey Dick
If Dick is moved, there would likely be several teams who would be interested in trading for him, both as a potential reclamation project and as a way to reach the salary cap floor.
One potential landing spot is the Brooklyn Nets, who will be below the salary cap next year and could be a dumping ground for other teams that want to move off guaranteed money. This year, the Nets took on the contract of former Raptors player Ochai Agbaji at the trade deadline so the Raptors could duck the luxury tax. They could take a flier on Dick, too, as he likely wouldn’t cost anything in a trade. If Dick did get traded to the Nets, it would likely be in some sort of swap for a second-round pick, as he doesn’t have much trade value at this point in his career.
Another potential landing spot for Dick is the Memphis Grizzlies, who project to have the most cap space of any team next season. They will need to take on some money to reach the cap floor, whether that’s from free-agent signings or in trades, and Dick would be a good acquisition for them, given they will have minutes available to play him, and the cap space to take on his money.
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