3 Worst free agent fits for the Toronto Raptors: Stay far away!

The Toronto Raptors enter the 2024 offseason at something of a crossroads. This past season saw the front office take a painful but necessary step of trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, but at the same time they didn't fully commit to a rebuild.

Door No. 1 for the Raptors this summer would be to use their cap space to take on bad salaries for draft assets and operate like a rebuilding team. Door No. 2 would be to use that cap space to sign free agents who can help them compete as early as next season around their young core of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

If they open that second door, it will be important that they sign players who make sense with their current roster rather than simply becoming enamored with big-name players who can score in bunches. If Barnes and Quickley are the future, how can Toronto build around them?

We already discussed star-level players who would not be a good fit with the Raptors; let's instead discuss mid-tier options who have some legitimate name recognition but would be poor fits with Toronto. Masai Ujiri and company, stay away!

No. 3: Markelle Fultz

The onetime No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Markelle Fultz has battled back from injuries to establish himself as a solid defensive guard, a player with a steady hand at the point and the versatility to defend multiple positions.

The problem with adding Fultz to this roster is that he is essentially a smaller version of Scottie Barnes, a limited shooter who needs the ball in his hands. The Orlando Magic have had to significantly reduce Fultz's role after drafting Paolo Banchero, someone who plays a similar offensive role to Barnes as a point forward.

While the Raptors need a backup point guard and could use his defense, they can find another option who has some amount of off-ball ability. What Fultz does best on offense simply isn't needed by the Raptors.