Gradey Dick’s move from Toronto to Los Angeles has given him exactly what he needed: a chance to settle in and play real minutes.
That wasn’t the case for long in his final stretch with the Raptors. By the time he dropped out of the rotation during the 2025-26 season, his long-term fit in Toronto looked bleak. The Raptors then packaged him in the deal that brought Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, sending the 22-year-old to the LA Clippers with the hope that a change of scenery could help him reset his career.
At first, it looked like he might run into the same problem all over again. Once the Clippers’ depth chart came into focus, Dick was staring at the same kind of end-of-bench role he had just left behind.
But injuries changed the picture. Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, and Bradley Beal all were dealing with injuries entering the season, and Dick suddenly had a path to steady playing time.
He’s taken advantage of it. Through 11 games with the Clippers, Dick has played at least 12 minutes in all but two contests, and his performance in a 113-112 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder stood out enough to draw attention from our sister site Clipperholics, which argued that he should remain part of the rotation even when everyone is healthy.
The shooting numbers are the biggest reason his start has looked so encouraging. During his Raptors stint, Dick never shot better than 36.5% from 3-point range over a full season, and that number fell to 30.1% last season. That kind of production made the fit in Toronto tough, especially when the shot wasn’t falling and his defense didn’t meet the Raptors’ standards.
With the Clippers, the early returns have been much better. He’s averaging just 1.9 3-point attempts per game, but he’s hitting 47.6% of them so far. Over his last three games, he went 5-of-7 from deep, including two made 3-pointers in the win over the Thunder, and he scored in double figures in each of those games.
The overall line is just as promising. In a small sample, Dick is shooting a career-high 53.3% from the field, and he’s chipped in on the glass as well, finishing only three games with fewer than three rebounds.
If this keeps up, the Clippers may have found a useful young wing to keep around even after their veterans return. Dick’s contract expires after this season, and he’ll be a restricted free agent. A strong year could be enough to earn him a new deal in Los Angeles - or make him attractive to another team looking for help on the wing.
In Other News...
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Reid would give Toronto a different kind of option in the middle, the sort of versatile big who could help balance out a lineup that has lacked consistency in that area. Nothing is official, and there is still plenty of distance between rumor and reality, but the fit is easy to see, which is why this kind of possibility is worth tracking closely as the Raptors continue to sort out their next move. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Sounds Concerned About Joel Embiid For One Clear Reason
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Nick Nurse, who knows the challenge of game-planning for Embiid as well as anyone, sounded more focused on the broader issue than the single play itself. He pointed to the difficulty of balancing Embiids need for rest with the fact that the star center clearly wants to keep competing, even when his body may be telling him otherwise. For a Raptors team that has spent plenty of time on the wrong side of Embiids talent, the concern is less about one game than about how often Philadelphia can actually keep him available. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Face A Risky Dejounte Murray Question At Point Guard
Dejounte Murrays name has suddenly entered the conversation again, and this time it has some real ripple effects for Toronto. ESPNs Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans guard wants out of New Orleans, with his agent and team officials working toward a resolution, and the Suns have already been floated as a possible landing spot. For the Raptors, it opens the door to a familiar kind of front-office question: whether a talented, ball-dominant guard with a track record of production is worth chasing if he becomes available.
It is still only a hypothetical for Toronto, but the fit debate is easy to understand. Murray has long been viewed as the sort of player who can raise a teams ceiling at point guard, yet his injury history and the way his current season has unfolded make any pursuit a little more complicated. For now, there is no trade on the books, only a situation worth watching closely as the market around him develops. [Read more 🡒]