Creating a winning culture is one of the most difficult things a club must undertake in order to attract fans to the seats, create revenue, and eventually become an appealing destination for top-tier free agents.
Throughout history, certain organizations have struggled to establish a winning culture, and as a result, its stars leave when given the opportunity, or, worse, are traded away to begin the rebuilding process.
The are a big part of that list of franchises, and believe it or not, it has had a significant impact on their playoff performance. They are not a winning franchise; they do not believe they are capable of going the distance and winning it all, which allows them to keep their stars. Today, we’ll tell you about the four superstars the Raptors have lost over the last 20 years.
Tracy McGrady became an instant sensation in the league thanks to his explosiveness and craftiness on the offensive end of the floor, but after the Raptors were defeated again in the first round of the playoffs in 2000, the scorer decided to sign a 6-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic, primarily because he didn’t enjoy being the Robin to Vince Carter’s Batman.
Grady would go on to become one of the biggest superstars in the league during his prime and even though lack of playoff success and his proneness to get hurt, took a toll on his career, he’ll always go down as one of the most talented scorers this game has ever seen.
When McGrady left the team, it was Carter’s turn to prove that he was the Raptors’ ultimate leader. He was once one of the most impressive players to watch in the league due to his athleticism, emphatic poster dunks, and offensive versatility, but he was unable to find success with the team and did not even make the playoffs in the 2003-04 season.
Following some altercations with the team’s president, Carter requested to be traded out of Canada, claiming that he had been “misled” and that the team would never be a contender under their administration. He was eventually transferred to the New Jersey Nets, where he became one of the league’s top stars, reaching the Finals twice in a row.
People often forget how amazing Chris Bosh was as Toronto’s lone star, becoming only the third player in franchise history to make an All-Star game, behind Vince Carter and Antonio Davis. Bosh virtually single-handedly guided the team to the playoffs after a massive roster revamp prior to the 2006-07 season, but after failing to impress for four years in a row, there weren’t many reasons to stay.
Bosh would eventually sign and trade with the Toronto Raptors to take his talents to the Miami Heat, where he’d build one of the deadliest “Big 3’s” in modern history alongside Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, winning a couple of NBA championships.
The latest superstar to be traded away from the Toronto Raptors is DeMar DeRozan, who failed to carry the team through the playoffs and felt humiliated and betrayed by the franchise for sending him to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for a one-year rental of Kawhi Leonard.
DeRozan is an outstanding scorer, but he lacks the character to lead a team to victory on his own, which is perhaps the primary reason Toronto decided to part ways with him. Still, the Raptors aren’t an appealing destination for Kawhi Leonard, who will leave for free at the end of the season, but DeRozan will join one of the world’s top clubs.
