Most teams in the NBA are already thinking about the offseason. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers still have to focus on the playoffs and their current roster. Every other front office and fanbase can already fantasize about the ideal free agency steals or offseason trades it could possibly pull off.
For the New Orleans Pelicans, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale proposed Gradey Dick as a trade target to pursue this summer.
“Gradey Dick’s performance has always lagged behind his reputation as a knockdown shooter. Defenses often treated him like a five-alarm fire anyway,” Favale wrote. “The Toronto Raptors’ rim frequency has increased with him on the floor every year. His gravity is real, and after falling out of the Raps’ rotation, he might be an up-for-grabs second-draft flier.”
In the same piece, Trey Murphy III is listed as a trade target for the Raptors—an idea that has been floating around for a while already due to Murphy’s 3-point shooting and defense. The dream scenario here for the Raptors would be that the Pelicans are actually interested in Dick and that interest can help facilitate a trade that sends Murphy to Toronto.
Gradey Dick could use a fresh start
The Raptors drafted Gradey Dick to be the team’s 3-point specialist after an outstanding season from behind the arc at Kansas. However, his 3-point shot never really translated to the NBA. He shot a respectable 36.5% in his rookie season and 35% in his second season, but never got close enough to the 40% mark. This season, his role shrank significantly, as he shot only 30.1% and couldn’t make up for his defensive limitations.
Ja’Kobe Walter took over as the Raptors’ young 3-point shooting wing and will remain a priority over Dick. So, it would be in everyone’s best interest if the Raptors could find a trade for Dick this season. He would get a fresh start, and the Raptors would get to lose some salary.
Trey Murphy III would solve a lot of the Raptors’ issues
The Raptors need 3-point shooting and shot creation. Murphy doesn’t provide too much of the latter, but he is a lethal 3-point shooter, shooting 38.2% on 6.7 attempts per game for his career.
Having someone with that much gravity on the floor would open up a whole new dimension of the Raptors’ offense, improving their spacing and allowing them to put up more points easily.
Plus, Murphy fits Scottie Barnes’s timeline. He also fits the Raptors’ preferred archetype of a big wing who can hold his own defensively.
The only two problems are that the Pelicans would (rightfully) want to sell high on a young 20-point scorer and reliable 3-point threat and that the Raptors won’t be the only team calling about him.
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