Raps’ Hedo Turkoglu: “I do not want to go back to Toronto”

Raps’ Hedo Turkoglu: “I do not want to go back to Toronto”

Hedo Turkoglu wants out of Toronto (Image: Keith Allison)

Hedo Turkoglu’s partying days in Toronto are coming to an end—that is, if he has anything to say about it. The Istanbul-born forward, who was benched for a chunk of last season, is looking for a way to get out of his five-year, $53-million contract with the Raptors, indicating that any love he had for the city has evaporated. He said as much during an interview with a Turkish television station:

“My lawyers have talked to the front office recently. Honestly, I do not want to go back to Toronto. My lawyers talked to Mr. [Bryan] Colangelo, and I hope that they will come up with a solution soon.”

Turkoglu was fined last season after he was caught out and about in Yorkville immediately after missing a game due to what he claimed was a stomach virus. The punishment left him unimpressed. If I had a more temperamental personality, I would have left the team,” said Turkoglu, who also reneged on a contract with the Portland Trail Blazers last summer in favour of Toronto. “When the circumstances turned against me, I lost my enthusiasm for this city.”

As the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going to a city with more money and better parties.

• Hedo Turkoglu wants out of Toronto [Orlando Sentinel]