The Toronto Raptors will undoubtedly try to pull off some economical free agency moves this offseason, as the Raptors are looking to get back to the postseason after an unlucky 2020-21 relegated them to the lottery for the first time in almost a decade.
The Raptors haven’t been regarded as a marquee free agent destination for most of their career, meaning that they have tried to lure free agents to Canada with some expensive contracts. While they have been able to pull in some quality additions over the years, there are some ugly misses across the history of this team.
The Raptors have, at one point or another, fallen into all sorts of pitfalls in free agency. be it overpaying for fading stars past their prime, investing too much in young players that didn’t develop as they believed they would, or adding role players at a price way above market value, Toronto has done it all at one point or another.
While Masai Ujiri helped the Raptors clean up their act, eventually, that doesn’t erase some of the mistakes of yesteryear. These 3 contracts, put on the books via either a garden variety signing or a sign-and-trade, stand out as some of the worst in the history of this franchise.
These are the 3 worst free agent contracts in Toronto Raptors history.
3. DeMarre Carroll: 4 years, $60 million, 2015
You can count on one hand the number of bad moves the exceptional Ujiri has made, but this is one of them. After two of the finest offensive seasons of his career with those Mike Budenholzer-led Hawks teams, the Raptors gave Carroll a princely sum in order to make the transition up north.
After getting $15 million per year, a figure that would still be questionable for a player with his stats in 2021, Carroll lasted just two seasons in Toronto, as he was soon shipped off to the Nets in a salary dump trade that forced the Raptors to surrender two future draft picks in order to get rid of him.
The Raptors have agreed to trade DeMarre Carroll and two future draft picks to the Nets. https://t.co/8Y43FjMWTF
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2017
DeMarre Carroll didn’t translate his Hawks stats to the Toronto Raptors
Carroll averaged just 9.4 points per game while making less than 40% of his shots during his two seasons in Toronto. Whatever value he added from a defensive point of view was negated by his poor shooting on the offensive side.
Just to twist the knife even further, Carroll became an important part of Brooklyn’s revival, setting a new career-high in points per game while getting D’Angelo Russell back to the playoffs. Carroll’s raw averages escape him from a higher place on this list, though it is inarguable his contract ranks among Toronto’s worst ever.
2. Landry Fields: 3 years, $18.7 million, 2012
The Carroll contract was disappointing, but he at least provided some offensive punch. Fields, meanwhile, failed to provide fans with anything positive to hold on to in Toronto. In his defense, Fields may have been set up for failure, as his contract with Toronto was much more lucrative than even he expected.
A former second-round pick of the Knicks, Fields approached double-digits in scoring twice in New York, and the expectation was that he would continue to improve if he signed with the Raptors. Unfortunately, Fields not only regressed, but he didn’t even look like a viable rotation player at times.
Landry Fields looked lost with the Raptors.
Fields struggled with injuries to the point where he almost had to reinvent his shooting form. Those injuries, coupled with plain old bad play, helped him average just 3.3 points per game in three seasons with the Raptors. He became a free agent in 2015, and he ended his playing career by joining the Spurs as a scout.
Like Carroll, Fields found success after leaving the Raptors, albeit in the front office. He is currently the assistant general manager of the Hawks, as the Stanford alum has found more success evaluating talent for a conference finalist in Atlanta than he did on the court during his Toronto tenure.
1. Hedo Turkoglu: 5 years, $52.8 million, 2009
A sign-and-trade qualifies the Turkish shooter for this list, as the former Magic stud was traded away from an Orlando team fresh off losing to Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals. In an effort to land Vince Carter, Orlando created a gnarly four-team deal that also included Shawn Marion. When the dust settled, Turkoglu was in Toronto with a huge five-year contract.
On the court, he was a disappointment. After averaging 18.2 points per game in his final two seasons during his first stint in Orlando, Turkoglu’s average dropped to 11.3 per game, as he was fourth on the team in scoring behind Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and Jarrett Jack. What makes this a real kick in the teeth was how he left Toronto.
Hedo Turkoglu burned bridges after one year with the Raptors.
Turkoglu, who was seen in a club while allegedly battling a stomach virus, hinted that he felt wronged by Raptors management and didn’t want to return after just one year. After a trade to Phoenix centered around Leandro Barbosa, Turkoglu ended up back in Orlando via trade one year later, leaving the Raptors confused as to why he regressed.
The Raptors made this deal envisioning that he could be the perfect tertiary gunner for years to come beside Bargnani and Bosh. In one year, Turkoglu saw his production nosedive, partied when he should’ve been rehabbing, and badmouthed the organization on the way out. That’s not the best use of $52 million.