The Biggest Free Agent Mistake in Raptors History

It's been 17 years since the Toronto Raptors made a splash in free agency that they almost certainly regret.

It was a smart move at the time to sign Hedo Turkoglu fresh off of his trip to the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic, but things did not work out as they were intended.

Hedo Turkoglu is Worst Raptors Signing Ever

Toronto Raptors forward Hedo Turkoglu against the Phoenix Suns. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Raptors were fresh off a 33-win season, and they knew they needed to make some adjustments to the roster. Signing Turkoglu was a way for the Raptors to reinvent themselves and give them a chance to get back in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. However, the fit with Turkoglu and the Raptors didn't work out on the court as well as it had looked on paper.

Turkoglu was the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2008 and received Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2009 as Orlando marched to the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years. Turkoglu was a secondary option in Orlando, but a move to Toronto would give him the chance to have a larger role alongside Chris Bosh in the frontcourt.

Unfortunately for Turkoglu, he regressed in a number of key statistics in his lone year with the Raptors.

Stats	2008-09 (ORL)	2009-10 (TOR)
Points	16.8	11.3
Rebounds	5.3	4.6
Assists	4.9	4.1
Steals	0.8	0.7
Minutes	36.6	30.7

"The Turkoglu acquisition was supposed to be a sign of change, a marquee free agent choosing Toronto over other options," Blake Murphy of The Athletic wrote back in 2020.

"The Raptors paid handsomely to get over that perceived non-destination hump, sign-and-trading a better player (Shawn Marion) away along with two players, a pick and cash, all for the right to pay Turkoglu $54 million over five years. That’s the equivalent of a $93.7-million deal with a $100-million cap, good for a surplus-value of negative $57.7 million over the life of the contract."

Following the season, Turkoglu requested a trade, which was granted in July of that year. Turkoglu was sent to the Phoenix Suns for Leandra Barbosa and Dwayne Jones. Eventually, Turkoglu was traded back to the Magic in Dec. 2010, giving him a chance to return to a competitor before their championship window closed.

While the Turkoglu signing was an ultimate failure for the franchise, the Raptors should be commended for trying to take a big swing. They wanted to improve their team, and it didn't work out for them.

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