Will former KU basketball guard Gradey Dick stay with Raptors ... or be traded?
A former starter and integral part of the regular rotation, 2023 NBA lottery pick Gradey Dick played just four minutes combined across three appearances in the Toronto Raptors’ recent seven-game NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The fact the 6-foot-7, 200-pound, 22-year-old shooting guard out of the University of Kansas was removed from the mix after the All-Star Break has led some media and fans to believe Dick will be traded this offseason.
Rumors of trades tend to start surfacing in conjunction with the NBA Draft, set for June 23 and 24 in Brooklyn, New York.
Why are the Raptors possibly thinking about trading Dick? The No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft averaged 6.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 76 games in 2025-26 — his third season in the NBA — after averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest in 2024-25.
A restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, he’s ticketed to earn $7,131,511 in this upcoming final year of his four-year rookie deal. It’s been speculated the team may be seeking to deal the former KU wing to free up financial flexibility and avoid the luxury tax.
It should be noted Dick has been a fan favorite in Toronto since his one-and-done season at KU (2022-23).
“It’s natural for a player to have ups-and-downs over the course of their season, especially at age 22. But I think, in talking to him last couple of days, he’s motivated by this. I think he’s using this as motivation to get better this summer and we fully expect a great summer from Gradey and are looking forward to next season,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster told Toronto media after Game 7 of a first-round 2026 NBA playoff series loss to Cleveland.
“I actually thought he had a good second year (2024-25). He had a development (year) with us. I looked the other day, he played 76 games this season. So it might be a bit more recency bias,” Webster added, noting Dick “has got to be able to defend when he’s on the court.”
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said after the Cleveland series: “I still believe in him. We still believe in him and we look at this as a long-term process with him, not just something that’s game to game.
“Whatever happened this year, he needs to learn from that experience and come back ready to contribute next year and that means on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he needs to take a big step and he needs to be more consistent as a shooter,” Rajakovic added.
Dick hit 30.1% of his 3s during the 2025-26 season after making 35.0% his second year in the league. The Wichita native converted 40.3% from 3 during the 2022-23 season at KU and 36.5% his rookie season in the pros.
“He’s in the process of learning how to be a professional, how to embrace that role, how to learn to play that role. And he had games where he did very well and he had games that did not do great. So he has to live with (the) process,” Rajakovic said.
Dick averaged just 8.7 minutes per game after the All-Star Break.
“One thing that we know about Gradey is he’s going to put the work in,” Rajakovic said after the season-ending Cleveland series. “I had a great conversation with him. Whatever happened this year he needs to be able to learn from that experience and he needs to come back ready to contribute next year.”
Rajakovic said that instead of losing focus after falling out of the rotation Dick “in the best possible way went back and he put a lot of work in. He was going back at night to shoot. He was coming early and first in the gym in the morning to get shots, to put work in. He was just doing what he’s supposed to do to get extra work and that’s what he needs to continue doing. There is a high expectation for him that he needs to put a lot of work in, because he’s a very, very important player for us. I have a huge trust in him, and as a young player I just think that he’s going to continue developing.”
Possible trade partners with Toronto according to published reports are the Los Angeles Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans.
“At just 22 years old (he turns 23 on Nov. 20), teams around the league could look to him as a bounce-back candidate if he’s afforded more playing time,” wrote Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com.
Dick’s popularity with management and the team surfaced during a just-completed 10-day exercise in which the Raptors posted (on social media site X) one highlight per day of a Dick dunk or 3-pointer.
On May 30 … “Day 1 of Gradey’s best plays from the 2025-26 season,” appeared on X. The Day 1 highlight was a shot of Dick converting a long-range 3 that drew nothing but net.
Day 10’s caption under a highlight read Monday, “Day 10 of ending the Gradey series the only way we know how.”
It was a video of Dick surging in from the wing for a forceful two-handed slam dunk.
“It’s important to note that, Sandro Mamukelashvili, another Raptors player whose future is up in the air this offseason, has also been getting similar highlight posts as of late (on X),” wrote Amos Caesar Mina of raptorsrapture.com.
“However, for Gradey Dick to be the only other Raptors player in that (X highlight) conversation looks a bit tone deaf, when there are more justified highlight packages galore for prominent fixtures like Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, and of course, Scottie Barnes,” Mina added.
It should be noted Dick did not conduct an exit interview with the media and hasn’t commented of late on his immediate future in the league.
“Dick is still very young, and he could catch on with a team looking for 3-point shooting help, but isn’t looking for a long-term commitment. Dick can get a trial run for the first part of the season with a new team, which could decide whether or not he’s worth keeping around at the trade deadline,” wrote Jeremy Bremer of SI.com.
“While Dick had a strong first two seasons with the Raptors, things fell apart in 2025-26, largely due to his diminishing role that was usurped by (wing) Brandon Ingram. The Raptors simply play better with Ingram on the floor over Dick, and the change really affected the former Kansas Jayhawks guard’s confidence.
“The lack of playing time appeared to affect his game when he was able to play. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Dick was on the outside of Rajakovic’s rotation, signaling the beginning of the end,” Bremer added. “Teams like the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets could take a flier on Dick in hopes of giving him the playing time he needs to continue growing his game and confidence. He would likely be a better fit for a rebuilding team than a contender at this point in his career. The Raptors don’t need to trade Dick, but they should absolutely listen to offers if they come Toronto’s way.”
