Toronto Raptors: 6 worst free agent signings in team history
4. Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon came over to the Raptors in a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, which we’re going to count as a free agent signing. If you forgot he played for the Raptors at the tail-end of his career, you would be forgiven.
After a career that made him one of the great centers in the history of basketball, Olajuwon chased the money at the end of his career. That meant a three-year, $17.4 million deal with Toronto ahead of the 2001-02 season.
It became clear almost immediately that Olajuwon was not going to be the same player he was in Houston. During his first season under the deal, he averaged a career-low 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He played in 61 games, which was an improvement over recent Rockets seasons, but started just 37 times and averaged 22.6 minutes per game, also a career-low.
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During the playoffs, Olajuwon was even less of a factor. In five games, he failed to record a start and averaged just 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In Game 5 of the first-round series against the Detroit Pistons, Olajuwon scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in a loss.
That would go on to be Olajuwon’s final game in the league. Dealing with a debilitating back injury, Olajuwon went on to call it a career just one year into his three-year contract with the Raptors. The big man went to the Hall of Fame with 12 All-Star appearances, two titles, one MVP award and one eminently forgettable season north of the border.