7 Worst Toronto Raptors Trades of All Time, Ranked

The Toronto Raptors odds of winning games depend on their roster construction each year.

The team sometimes makes moves to help them secure more victories and maximize their championship basketball odds, but not every deal works out.

With that said, what are the worst Raptors trades of all time? Let’s find out.

Worst Trades in Raptors’ History

1. Vince Carter for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and Two First-Round Picks

The Vince Carter era had run its course, but this trade in December 2004 set the franchise back more than anything else.

Alonzo Mourning didn’t play a second for Toronto, and the Raptors used one of the picks to select Joey Graham. 

The other pick was sent to the New York Knicks to help the Raptors dump Jalen Rose’s contract. The Knicks selected Renaldo Balkman with that pick.

Meanwhile, VC revitalized the New Jersey Nets, bringing them back into championship contention while delivering several years of MVP-calibre play, including his signature high-flying dunks and clutch shots, for fans in the Meadowlands.

2. Tracy McGrady for First-Round Pick

Though Tracy McGrady didn’t want to play second fiddle to Carter, his cousin, and wanted to go home to Florida, the Raptors likely wish they worked harder to keep McGrady and form one of the deadliest scoring duos in league history.

McGrady was a free agent in 2000 and could’ve left for nothing, but the Raptors executed a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic to grant his wishes, netting a 2005 first-round pick in return.

T-Mac blossomed into a superstar after leaving Toronto, averaging 32.1 points during the 2002-03 season and winning two scoring titles with the Magic.

3. Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai, and Second-Round Pick for Hedo Türkoğlu, Devean George, and Antonie Wright

The Raptors acquired Hedo Türkoğlu in a sign-and-trade four-team deal with the Magic, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks.

After serving as an integral part of an Orlando team that reached the NBA Finals in 2009, Türkoğlu regressed considerably due to poor conditioning and a perceived lack of interest, leading the Raptors to trade him to the Phoenix Suns after just one season.

4. T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterović, Maceo Baston, and the Draft Rights to Roy Hibbert for Jermaine O’Neal and the Draft Rights to Nathan Jawai

Jermaine O’Neal was on the downside of his career dealing with knee troubles, but they hoped he and Chris Bosh could form a dynamic big-man duo when they made this trade with the Indiana Pacers in 2008.

O’Neal ended up getting traded to the Miami Heat prior to the trade deadline in a deal that sent Shawn Marion to Toronto.

5. José Calderón, Ed Davis, and Second-Round Pick for Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi

The Raptors didn’t trade much to the Grizzlies for a talent like Rudy Gay, but he didn’t fit well next to Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, as Toronto went 6-12 to begin the 2013-14 season, his first full season with the squad.

Toronto went 42-22 after dealing Gay to the Sacramento Kings, finishing with a 48-34 record.

6. A First and Second-Round Pick for Hakeem Olajuwon

The Raptors traded for a 38-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon in a deal with the Houston Rockets in 2001, hoping he and Carter could lift the team into serious title contention.

The 1994 MVP was a shell of himself, and in hindsight, the Raptors could’ve used that first-rounder in a different trade that would’ve aligned better with Carter’s timeline.

Houston ended up drafting Boštjan Nachbar (No. 15 overall) with that pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

7. Marco Belinelli for Julian Wright

Julian Wright appeared in just 52 games with the Raptors during the 2010-11 season after being traded from the New Orleans Hornets for Marco Belinelli. Wright never played another second in the NBA after his lone season in Toronto.

Meanwhile, Belinelli played 10 more seasons in the league after the trade, as the sharpshooting guard helped the San Antonio Spurs win a championship in 2014.