Christian Koloko signs with Lakers despite rumors of interest from Clippers, Spurs and Raptors | News, results, highlights, stats and rumors

Former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the news on Saturday after reporting on Friday that Koloko is planning to return to the NBA and that the Lakers are “favorites” to sign him, with the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs all expressing 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 dealing with a career-threatening blood clot.

Before the transfer, he did not play for the Raptors because his participation was suspended indefinitely in October 2023 due to “respiratory problems”.

Koloko is not allowed to play or practice with a team until he is cleared by the NBA's fitness committee. Although he is still awaiting clearance, he is eligible to sign with an organization before the 2024-25 season.

The Raptors selected Koloko with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 58 games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds, along with 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game. Koloko made an impact on both ends of the court, earning the best net rating of any Raptors player who appeared in at least 30 games (via NBA.com).

Koloko is expected to add depth to the Lakers' frontcourt, which already features strong defenders such as Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt.