The Detroit Pistons may try to take advantage of a team looking to cut salary this summer, and the Toronto Raptors could be one of those teams.
We’ve talked about some of the higher end options the Raptors could trade, but they also have a young sharpshooter in Gradey Dick who they might move after he was buried in the depth chart this season and saw his minutes cut way down.
Everyone wants the Pistons to make a big swing this summer, but they also need to look for bargain depth, as they need shooting up and down the lineup and aren’t going to get everything they need in one guy even if he’s a star.
Dick is an interesting player who may just need a new home to get back to form.
Gradey Dick is still very young
Gradey Dick is only 22 years old, so those acting like he’s a bust after one down season are getting ahead of themselves.
Dick had an impressive sophomore campaign in which he averaged 14 points per game and shot a decent 35 percent from long range on high volume.
This season, those numbers cratered, as Dick saw his minutes go from nearly 30 to just 14 per game after the Raptors loaded up at his position.
It wasn’t just his minutes that went down, as Dick shot just 30 percent from long range, which is a problem, as he was drafted mostly because he’s a 6-foot-7 guard who can shoot.
His value has never been lower, so if the Pistons wanted to trade for the final year of his contract, they could probably get him for practically nothing if they were willing to take on his salary.
The question is whether there is more there or if Dick is just another “change of scenery” candidate who really isn’t all that good.
Upside or another Kevin Huerter?
The Pistons had a Dick type on the team last year after trading Jaden Ivey for Kevin Huerter. Like Huerter, Dick is a movement shooter who can also put it on the floor some but is far from a creator.
Huerter was often hurt and wasn’t great when he wasn’t, but Dick has the upside to be what Huerter was earlier in his career, which is a solid 15+ ppg scorer off the bench.
It’s hard to imagine that Dick just suddenly forgot how to shoot, so he does strike me as someone who might thrive with more opportunity in a better situation, namely playing with an elite point guard, which is something he didn’t have in Toronto.
Dick is making just over seven million next season, so if he got back to his form from his second season, would be well worth the investment, especially if it only cost the Pistons a distant second-round pick.
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