It would be nice and neat if the Toronto Raptors could wrap their disastrous 2023-24 season in a box labeled “team failure” and set it on the shelf, never to be seen again. It would be only a statistic in the record books, with no further implications.
Unfortunately, this is not how the world works. The team’s loss last season reflects poorly on those who were a part of it, particularly those who received minutes during the year’s final losing streak. Putting up terrible numbers when your team is winning is frequently attributed to circumstance, a smaller role, giving up touches to aid the team, and so on. Bad stats when you are losing can ruin your career.
Which Raptors players aggressively lowered their contract values last season? Let’s take a look at four players who will be eligible for free agency in the following two seasons and explain why they are likely to earn less money after being a part of the Raptors’ 2023-24 debacle.
#4: Ochai Agbaji
The Toronto Raptors acquired second-year wing Ochai Agbaji during the Trade Deadline in February, paying a minimal price for a recent lottery pick who appears to match their roster’s needs perfectly. Agbaji was advertised as a 3-and-D wing with shot creation ability who had won a national title in his senior year at Kansas.
