Former KU guard Gradey Dick of Wichita sent to L.A. Clippers in NBA trade: report
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gradey Dick is part of a proposed trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
- The proposed deal would send Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Dick, Ingram and multiple picks.
- Gradey Dick averaged 6.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 76 games in 2025-26.
Former Kansas Jayhawks shooting guard Gradey Dick, a 2023 lottery pick of the Toronto Raptors, is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a blockbuster trade, ESPN.com’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.
The proposed deal, which has reportedly not yet been finalized, will send seven-time all-star Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors for Dick, Brandon Ingram, two unprotected first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks, according to Charania.
Dick, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound, 22-year-old Wichita native who was selected No. 13 overall in the NBA Draft by Toronto after a one-and-done college season at KU, has completed three seasons in the league.
He is about to enter the final year of his four-year rookie contract, worth $7,131,511 during the 2026-27 season. He will be a restricted free agent after the season.
“NBA sources caution the deal is not official, even if the draft capital and the players involved are set. Things such as the years of the picks, any protection on the picks, the slight chance it’s expanded to involve more players and the settling of which team pays how much of the trade bonus in Leonard’s deal have to be finalized. But those are basically negotiating points, the heavy lifting on the deal has been done,” wrote the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith. “Because of cap restrictions and rules, it can’t be finalized until July 6 so no team official on either side can comment,” Smith added.
Dick’s production dipped his third year in the NBA. He averaged 6.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 76 games in 2025-26 after averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest in 2024-25.
He hit 30.1% of his 3s last season after connecting for 35.0% his second year in the league. He went 40.3% from deep during the 2022-23 season at KU and 36.5% in his rookie season as a pro.
A former starter and integral part of the regular rotation, Dick played just four minutes combined across three appearances in the Raptors’ seven-game playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, won by Cleveland.
He’s been the subject of trade rumors with the Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans reportedly showing interest.
The Toronto Star’s Smith wrote: “Dick, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft, fell out of favor when he struggled, particularly defensively, in his third season. He lost his spot in the regular rotation late in the regular season and did not figure in Toronto’s long-term plans.”
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said after the Cleveland series: “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. 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 added.
Dick averaged just 8.7 minutes per game after the NBA 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.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said recently: “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.”
Of the trade, NBCsports.com’s Billy Heyen wrote: “At 6-7, Dick can play the 2 or the 3 on the wing, but his best skill — his shooting — has abandoned him in the NBA. Through three seasons, he has shot just 34.3% from 3-point range while averaging 9.2 points per game. It was worse in 2025-26, at 30.1% from beyond the arc and just 6.0 points per game in 76 appearances.
“Dick doesn’t have enough other skill to last if his shooting doesn’t get better, or if he doesn’t improve in other aspects of his game. He may amount to nothing for the Clippers, but his outside shooting potential remains intriguing enough at his height. Dick might be the swing player in this deal. If he pans out, the Clippers can feel like they did well in moving off Leonard at the right time.”
