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5 worst draft mistakes in Toronto Raptors franchise history

By Avishai Sol

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during warm ups against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2012 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during warm ups against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 20, 2012 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors
Oct 28, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of the Toronto Raptors court logo. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

2004 NBA Draft:  Rafael Araujo (No. 8 Pick)

This was the moment when Toronto officially lost Vince Carter.

Araujo was a powerfully built center from Brazil, and with the aforementioned decline of Davis, the Raptors were on the lookout for a new 5-man to replace him.

They’d drafted a stud in Chris Bosh the previous year, but with their Vince becoming increasingly restless, and the status quo in the league still being that you need a star center to contend, the Raptors selected Araujo eighth over Andre Iguodala.

Toronto Raptors: Rafael Araujo was an all-time awful selection.

An All-Star, future Finals MVP, valuable role player 17 years after he was drafted, not to mention the model NBA leader, Iguodala is the gold standard for any NBA team trying to improve their roster.

He would have helped as a defensive wing next to Carter, and is the kind of guy who raises the ceiling of a team trying to break into title contention. Instead, the Raptors took Araujo.

Even if we gave the team the benefit of the doubt and say that the Raptors wanted a center to pair with Bosh (a 215-pound rookie who was too small to play center at the time), they could have taken Al Jefferson. Jefferson was the No. 1 ranked center in America and a high school phenom. Araujo was almost unspeakably bad.

This whole thing is just another example of this mid-2000s stretch for the Raptors front office falling in love with the mystery foreign prospects instead of taking the gem right in front of their faces.