Dawson Garcia inks deal with Detroit Pistons

Minnesota's star forward has gotten his NBA shot, and it's in the Midwest.

Jan 2, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) dribbles the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers great Dawson Garcia has gotten his NBA shot. A Darren Wolfson posted to X on Friday, saying that Garcia has agreed to a deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Told Garcia agreed to a deal with Detroit. He had a good pre-draft workout and visit with the Pistons. All he needs is a chance and he’ll have that. #Gophers https://t.co/4S8fLxAqeN

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 27, 2025

Garcia had an outside chance of sneaking into the backend of the second round, but after not hearing his name called, he is going to head to Detroit as an undrafted free agent (UDFA). The specifics of the deal have not been reported, but the timing of the following day after the draft likely means it's not a two-way contract or standard deal.

The most likely scenario is that Garcia signed an Exhibit-10 contract, which includes an invite to Detroit's Summer League roster and potentially a spot in training camp, as he hopes to earn a two-way contract or a spot on their G-League roster.

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Garcia didn't have the same postseason success as some, but he had one of the most impressive three-year stretches in Gophers program history. He averaged 15.3, 17.6 and 19.2 points per game in the three seasons during his Minnesota career.

He sacrificed a lot of potential money from bigger programs in the transfer portal to remain in Minnesota and play for his hometown Gophers. He will turn 24 years old in September, but he now has a shot this summer to prove that he belongs in the NBA.

He now joins former Gophers Amir Coffey, Cam Christie and Jamison Battle as players from the program currently in the NBA.