Ochai Agbaji joining fellow Kansas basketball alum with Toronto Raptors after trade

An NBA deadline deal sent alums of the same university to the same professional team. Former Kansas Jayhawks basketball stars Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji will be teammates moving forward after the Jazz traded Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors.

Utah dealt big man Kelly Olynyk and second-year man Agbaji for Otto Porter Jr, Kira Lewis Jr., and a 2024 first-round pick. The trade came on the day of the trade deadline.

Agbaji was drafted 14th overall in the 2022 NBA draft after winning a national championship at Kansas. He totaled 110 career games with the Jazz, averaging 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assist on 42.7% field goal shooting.

Dick has not fared much better coming out of the gates. He was selected one pick before Agbaji was in the following year's draft, and the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter is averaging just 4.7 points and 1.7 rebounds through 31 games, weaving in and out the NBA G League.

Toronto had made several moves before the trade deadline, trading star players such as Pascal Siakam to Indiana, OG Anunoby to New York, and other role players such as Dennis Schröder and Precious Achiuwa. They brought in newcomers RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown, and Immanuel Quickley in those deals, but they have struggled since the new year and sit at 19-33, good for 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Building behind Scottie Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley, the Raptors have tons of young talent and a potentially bright future. Dick is 20 and Agbaji is 23, so they could definitely be building blocks for future seasons.

While both players have shown flashes early in their NBA careers, neither has played like the lottery selections they were. Perhaps getting more playing time on a team with less pressure to win games will be better for Agbaji, and they can work together to improve as guards.