Former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko has agreed on a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shams Charania of The Athletic relayed the news on Saturday after reporting on Friday that Koloko was finalizing a return to the NBA and that the Lakers were “frontrunners” to land him with the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs all registering interest.
The 24-year-old was waived by Toronto on Jan. 17 to complete the trade of All-Star forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. On the following day, Charania reported that Koloko was dealing with a career-threatening blood clot issue.
He didn’t suit up for the Raptors prior to the trade, as he was declared out indefinitely due to “respiratory issues” in Oct. 2023.
Koloko is unable to play or practice on a team until he’s cleared by the NBA’s fitness panel. Although he’s still waiting for clearance, he’s eligible to sign with an organization ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The Raptors selected Koloko with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 draft. He appeared in 58 contests as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds to go along with 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game. Koloko made an impact on both ends of the court, finishing with the best net rating among all Raptors players to appear in at least 30 games (via NBA.com).
Koloko will look to provide depth for a Lakers frontcourt that already includes strong defenders such as Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt.