24 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — After hearing his name called in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, former Jayhawk and Wichita native Gradey Dick will be participating in the NBA Summer League.
Dick was drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the 13th overall pick on Thursday night.
Joining Dick on the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League team will be former Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell, who signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Raptors not long after the draft ended.
The Summer League gives new draft picks and aspiring free agents the chance to acclimate to the speed of the professional game by playing in various tournaments across the country. According to the NBA’s website, there are leagues in San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
Nowell and Dick are slated to play in Las Vegas in the NBA 2K24 Summer league.
The Raptors will play four times between July 7 and July 17. Their first game will be against on July 7 against the Chicago Bulls. That game will air at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Up next after the Bulls on July 9, the Raptors will play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Former Shocker Craig Porter Jr. — who went undrafted — will likely suit up against Dick and Nowell. Porter signed a two-way deal with the Cavaliers after the draft, giving him the opportunity to play in the Summer League and with the Cavaliers’ G-League team.
After that game, the Raptors will face the Detroit Pistons at 5 p.m. on July 12.
The final game of the Summer League slate will likely feature a fellow former Jayhawk on the other bench. The Raptor will play the Brooklyn Nets — who drafted Jalen Wilson in the second round on Thursday. That game will air at 4 p.m.
As the season draws closer, it will be interesting to see how much Kansas representation the Raptors will have. Wichita State legend Fred VanVleet — who has been with the Raptors for a while — opted to test the free agency waters.