7 former NBA stars who spent just one season (or less) with the Raptors

Though they’ve never been a hot free agent destination, the Toronto Raptors have had no shortage of stars come through their ranks throughout the years.

Whether it’s Vince Carter, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, or Fred VanVleet, Toronto has developed several players in their franchise’s existence who have played an integral part in telling the history of the NBA.

But Toronto’s also acted as a bit of a career graveyard for a few NBA stars who stopped by for a season or less.

We’ll leave out Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green because, well, they don’t seem to quite fit in the same group, with both players still having notable careers after leaving Toronto, and they were, of course, instrumental in the most iconic Raptors team of all time.

While Leonard and Green were undoubtedly two of the best one-season wonders in franchise history, there’s a special place for those guys who suited up in a Toronto uniform for a season or less and then bounced town without any real notable positive memories to recall.

Without further ado, here are seven ex-NBA stars who called Toronto home briefly.

1. Hakeem Olajuwon

Season: 2001-02

Stats: 7.1 PTS, 6.0 REB and 1.1 AST

Along with Chris Bosh and Tracy McGrady, Hakeem Olajuwon is one of just three Hall of Famers to ever suit up for the Raptors.

That might change when Vince Carter is eligible to join the class next year, but for now, Olajuwon has arguably the most impressive career of any player to ever play for Toronto.

Of course, his best days were during his time with the Houston Rockets, where he won the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles and the Finals MVP in both years. In Toronto, he was a bench player in 24 of his 61 games, recording single-digit point averages for the only time in his lengthy career.

The first overall pick in the 1984 draft (famously taken two spots ahead of Michael Jordan), Olajuwon played the final of his 18 NBA seasons at age 39 in Toronto in the 2001-02 season, before retiring in the fall of 2002.

2. Jermaine O’Neal

Season: 2008-09

Stats: 13.5 PTS, 7.0 REB, 1.6 AST

When the Raptors acquired Jermaine O’Neal in the summer of 2008 from the Indiana Pacers, he was just a year removed from his sixth straight All-Star appearance.

Unfortunately for Toronto, it was a height he’d never reach again. Struggling with injuries and on a team stuck in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, he lasted just 41 games in a Toronto uniform, before being shipped off to the Miami Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

3. Shawn Marion

Season: 2008-09

Stats: 27 GP, 14.3 PTS, 8.3 REB, 2.3 AST

Speaking of Shawn Marion, he somehow lasted even less time than O’Neal in Toronto, playing only 27 games.

Perhaps known best for his days as part of the Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash, the four-time NBA All-Star was sent as part of a multi-team deal to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2009 offseason just months after coming to Toronto.

He ended up spending five seasons with the Mavericks, including an NBA title with the franchise in 2011, while he also made the 2015 Finals as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

4. Hedo Turkoglu

Season: 2009-10

Stats: 74 GP, 11.3 PTS, 4.6 REB, 4.1 AST

When the Raptors acquired Turkoglu in 2009 as their big get in the deal that sent Shawn Marion out of town, he was fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic. Though Dwight Howard was the face of the Magic at the time, Turkoglu actually led Orlando with 18.0 points in the 2008 Finals.

Turkoglu was expected to play a major role in Toronto, but his stats saw a significant drop off while playing alongside Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, with the Raptors going 40-42 and missing the playoffs.

In July 2010, Toronto shipped him to the Phoenix Suns for Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones, weeks after requesting his desire to leave Toronto via a TV interview in his home country of Turkey.

Today, he’s probably remembered best for his “Ball” answer given to TSN personality Jack Armstrong in a postgame interview.

5. Peja Stojaković

Season:  2010-11

Stats: 2 GP, 10.0 PTS, 0.5 AST, 1.5 REB

Where were you when Peja Stojaković played just two games for the Raptors? Traded to Toronto in November 2010 from the New Orleans Hornets, the player best known for his three NBA All-Star appearances in the early 2000s with the Sacramento Kings briefly called Toronto home.

But suffering a knee injury early into his tenure in Toronto, the Raptors eventually gave up and released him after he was unable to return to action some two months after the injury.

Interestingly, he played the final games of his NBA career that same season with the same 2011 Mavericks squad that Marion was a part of, winning the NBA title before retiring the following December.

6. Jeremy Lin

Season:  2018-19

Stats: 23 GP, 7.0 PTS, 2.2 AST, 2.6 REB

Jeremy Lin’s star didn’t shine all that long in the NBA, but there were a few weeks when he was the most talked about player in the world.

The first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to crack the NBA, Lin took the NBA by storm during a 12-game run with the New York Knicks in 2012 where he went from unknown bench player to a player averaging 22.5 points and 8.7 assists per game.

Lin bounced around for eight NBA franchises over the course of his career, winning the title in 2019 with Toronto, his most recent NBA stop. Lin played just 23 games in Toronto, while also suiting up for eight playoff contests as part of Toronto’s 2019 championship run.

Currently, the 34-year-old Lin is playing in Taiwan with the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers.

7. Goran Dragic

Season:  2021-22

Stats: 5 GP, 8.0 PTS, 1.8 AST, 2.8 REB

Long before he became a villain in the Raptors, Goran Dragic was a one-time NBA All-Star while with the Miami Heat back in 2018.

Dragic didn’t quite endear himself to Toronto, however, and lasted just five actual games on the franchise, only starting opening night in October 2021 before being relegated to the bench and then stepping away for personal reasons after not playing for over a month.

Eventually, Dragic was traded away from Toronto to the Chicago Bulls in February 2022, in a package revolved around draft picks and veteran forward Thad Young, who remains on the team at time of writing.

The most recent NBA player on the list, Dragic is currently a free agent. Maybe the Raptors front office will take a flier on him one more time?

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