Raptors fill needs with additions of Gradey Dick, Jalen McDaniels

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Gradey Dick is officially a Raptor, having signed his first NBA contract on Monday, the team said.

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We’re still waiting on the ink to dry on the addition of forward Jalen McDaniels, tough it’s coming.

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Both players will help fill some glaring holes for a team, including a couple that opened up with Fred VanVleet’s surprising flight to the Houston Rockets.

Dick, selected with the 13th pick of last month’s draft, was considered the premier shooter in the class. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in his lone season at Kansas, shooting .403 from the NCAA’s three-point line.

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Last season’s Raptors were third-last in the NBA in three-point accuracy and makes, and all but tied for the league low in both effective and true shooting percentage.

McDaniels likely won’t help in the shooting department — if he was expected to, he wouldn’t have been available — but he provides solid, rangy defence. Though he’s nominally a small forward, McDaniels can defend a variety of positions, including guard and the Raptors will take all the help there they can get. Fellow newcomer Dennis Schroder is a better defender than you’d think, but Gary Trent Jr. took a step back in that area in 2022-23.

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McDaniels, 25, was a late second-round pick in 2019 and hasn’t taken off like his younger brother Jaden, now one of the league’s better two-way forwards for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he seems like a solid value add. The elder McDaniels even shot 40% on limited three-point attempts in his 80 games with Philadelphia after shooting a career-low 32% in his final months with the Charlotte Hornets. McDaniels has shot far better from the free throw line than his brother though so there’s still a chance the Sixers run wasn’t a fluke. Given his other talents, his two-year deal for $9.3 million with the Raptors could prove to be a bargain.

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The 6-9 forward spent three full seasons with Charlotte before last year’s split campaign and stood out mostly for his rebounding and defence while there. He’s one of only three San Diego State products currently in the NBA and Raptors fans know the other ones — superstar Kawhi Leonard and current Toronto backup guard Malachi Flynn.

Next up for the Raptors is summer league July 7-17, starting with a game against Chicago on the opening day of the long-running showcase.

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