Christian Koloko signs with Lakers amid rumored interest from Clippers, Spurs, Raptors | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

Former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania broke the news on Saturday after reporting on Friday that Koloko was finalizing a return to the NBA and that the Lakers were the “frontrunners” to sign him, with the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs all having expressed interest.

The 24-year-old was released by Toronto on January 17 to complete the trade of All-Star forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. The following day, Charania reported that Koloko was battling a career-threatening blood clot problem.

He did not play for the Raptors before the trade took place, as he was out indefinitely in October 2023 due to “respiratory concerns.”

Koloko is not allowed to play or train for a team until he is cleared by the NBA’s fitness panel. Although he is still awaiting clearance, he is eligible to sign with an organization prior to the 2024-25 season.

The Raptors selected Koloko with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He appeared in 58 games 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 impressed on both ends of the court and finished with the best net rating of any Raptors player who appeared in at least 30 games (via NBA.com).

Koloko will look to bolster the Lakers’ frontcourt, which already features strong defenders like Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt.