The Raptors' saga to find Gradey Dick a new home is finally over, and it culminates in probably the best-case scenario possible for Toronto.
Now, obviously, Dick could be more or less considered a salary throw-in to this Kawhi Leonard mega deal. However, considering there is no other young talent involved in the trade aside from him and Brandon Ingram as the key headliner — maybe there is still a slight window of upside to Dick's fresh start with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Raptors' 2023 draft miss of Gradey Dick should sting less after Kawhi Leonard deal
But, let's rewind back a bit to how Gradey Dick got here.
In 2023, the Toronto Raptors were coming off of a rough play-in loss to the Chicago Bulls and possibly heading in a new direction the following season. They would let Fred VanVleet walk in free agency, parted ways with head coach Nick Nurse and signed on Darko Rajakovic, while having a prime opportunity to add what could be a key youngster with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft.
On draft night, the Raptors would set its sights on Kansas sharpshooter, Gradey Dick. He gave Toronto a shot at their own long-range specialist down the line, at least that was the hope. Dick put in a solid rookie campaign and his sophomore season showed even further glimpses of potential, with an early 2024-25 run that looked like Dick was on the verge of becoming a rising young star.
Then, Dick's star came crashing down real fast with an extremely lackluster 2025-26 campaign, full of struggles and lapses, that culminated with him getting eclipsed by a more trusted young swingman in Ja'Kobe Walter.
Around the same time Dick was being quickly falling into 'bust' territory, another 2023 classman who the Raptors passed on draft night, Keyonte George, was quickly emerging as a key young piece in the Utah Jazz framework.
This past year, George averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals for Utah, following up on what was already a promising sophomore season before it. Sure, George put up those numbers for the lowly Utah Jazz, but considering how far Dick had fallen off and Toronto failing to see the potential in Keyonte George — it certainly still felt like a scouting misfire on the Raptors' part.
Yes, it's still a wasted lottery pick looking back, but then again, you can't hit on every selection. Toronto obviously had high hopes for Dick, but he could just couldn't deliver. And when you do have to cross that bridge with an expendable youngster, it's quite the climax to use that draft bust in a deal to reacquire your team's golden goose.
Add us as a preferred source on Google