Former Raptors 1st Round Pick Heads into Unrestricted Free Agency

Former Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn will head into unrestricted free agency after the Detroit Pistons declined to extend him a qualifying offer

Apr 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malachi Flynn (14) controls the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Malachi Flynn is heading into unrestricted free agency.

The former Toronto Raptors guard will not be tendered a qualifying offer by the Detroit Pistons this offseason and will become a free agent Sunday evening, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

Toronto dealt the 26-year-old Flynn to the New York Knicks as part of the OG Anunoby deal that saw the Raptors acquire Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. Flynn appeared in 14 games for the Knicks before being dealt at the trade deadline to the Pistons.

Flynn struggled to see significant playing time with Detroit but popped off the bench for a shocking 50-point performance on April 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. He shot 18-for-25 from the field, racking up 50 points in 34 minutes.

But Flynn failed to make much of an impact for Detroit outside of the single stellar performance against the Hawks. He averaged just 5.5 points per game for the season while shooting 41.8% from the floor and 33.1% from behind the arc.

Toronto selected Flynn with the 29th pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in April 2021 thanks to a strong finish to his rookie campaign but Flynn was never able to replicate that performance during his sophomore season.

The 6-foot-1 guard bounced in and out of the rotation for Toronto under former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and never was able to contribute enough as a shooter before Toronto eventually opted to move on.

Expect Flynn to sign a minimum contract or earn a training camp invite for next season.