Hawks Sign Christian Koloko To Two-Way Contract
4:27 pm: Koloko’s two-way deal with Atlanta is official, the team confirmed in a press release.
3:35 pm: The Hawks intend to sign free agent center Christian Koloko to a two-way contract, reports Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
As our tracker shows, Atlanta currently has a two-way opening and won’t need to waive anyone in order to sign Koloko.
A 25-year-old big man, Koloko opened 2025/26 on a two-way contract with the Lakers, but was cut by Los Angeles near the end of November to make roster space for Drew Timme.
Koloko spent about a week with the G League’s Austin Spurs in mid-December and then signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Grizzlies on December 22. Memphis brought him back for a second 10-day deal, but opted not to sign him for the remainder of the season when that contract expired a few days ago.
Although Koloko played sparingly (six total minutes over two games) for the Lakers to open the season, he was a rotation regular during his 20 days with the Grizzlies, averaging 2.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game across 11 appearances.
Koloko was selected No. 33 overall in the 2022 draft after three college seasons with Arizona. He showed some promise as a rookie with Toronto in 2022/23, but was forced to miss the entire ’23/24 season due to a blood clot issue which has since been resolved. Overall, the three-year veteran has played in 108 career NBA games, averaging 2.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 12.5 MPG.
Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jackson, Koloko, Coward
The Grizzlies are dealing with a limited market as they consider their options in a potential Ja Morant trade, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic. Harper speculates that the offers Memphis receives might be similar to the meager return Atlanta got for Trae Young, even though Morant is only 26 and is a two-time All-Star.
Harper starts by pointing out that 15 teams are already set at point guard, which eliminates half the league. Among the rest, Boston, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Orlando don’t have enough trade assets or financial flexibility to be realistic contenders for Morant, and Harper doesn’t believe Atlanta will be in the market for another point guard after parting with Young. Toronto is probably out because the Grizzlies wouldn’t want Immanuel Quickley‘s long-term contract, and Sacramento likely wouldn’t part with the draft assets necessary to get Memphis’ interest.
Harper whittles his list down to the Nets, Bulls, Heat and Mavericks as the most likely contenders for Morant, but none of them appear to be a perfect fit. Chicago needs to find a star, but Josh Giddey is already entrenched as the team’s lead ball-handler. Dallas could use a younger point guard than Kyrie Irving if the plan is to rebuild around Cooper Flagg, but Morant’s injury history might make the Mavs reluctant to pull the trigger on a deal. Brooklyn is in the early stages of rebuilding, and Morant might not be happy to wind up there.
Harper suggests that Morant’s best option is to finish the season strong and rebuild his trade value for a potential deal this summer. However, he speculates that the Grizzlies may already have a deal in hand that they can live with and they’re just seeing if they can do better before the deadline arrives.
There’s more from Memphis:
- The Morant trade rumors are starting to raise questions about whether Jaren Jackson Jr. is on board with a complete rebuilding project, Tim MacMahon states on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Real GM). Memphis is hanging on to the final play-in spot at 17-22 after sending Desmond Bane to Orlando last summer. “Their actions are telling you that they’re determined to rebuild the Grizzlies, I would say, around Jaren Jackson Jr.,” MacMahon said. “There’s a lot of discussion around the league wondering if that is mutual, I would say.”
- Christian Koloko‘s second 10-day contract has expired, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) so the Grizzlies would need to sign him to a standard deal to keep him for the rest of the season. Koloko appeared in 11 games over that span, making two starts and averaging 2.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per night.
- Rookie Cedric Coward is already emerging as a reliable clutch-time option, observes Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints. “(Coward) is a first-year player coming out of college, but is picking his spots,” coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “Overall, I would talk about our very good offense for stretches. He was a part of those, making quick decisions off the catch. Ball movement was great; he was finding open players. Those are the things we’ve got to build on and also look to use in crunch time.”
Grizzlies Re-Sign Christian Koloko
12:20 pm: Koloko’s second 10-day deal is official, according to the Grizzlies (Twitter link). The contract will run through January 11, covering Memphis’ next six games.
11:56 am: The Grizzlies have been granted another hardship exception and will use it to bring back center Christian Koloko on a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Memphis initially added Koloko via a hardship deal on December 22. The big man appeared in five games for Memphis during his first 10 days with the team, averaging 18.6 minutes per night and making one start on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.
Although Koloko only scored 10 points in those five outings, he contributed in other ways, grabbing 19 rebounds and registering six steals and six blocks. Memphis had a +15.2 net rating during his 93 total minutes on the court.
A hardship exception allows a banged-up team to add an extra player beyond the 15 on its standard roster. A team qualifies if it has four players who have missed three or more consecutive games due to injuries or illnesses and are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey, John Konchar, and Brandon Clarke are all in the midst of extended absences for the Grizzlies. While they’re all due to be reevaluated at some point in January, the fact that Memphis has been granted another hardship exception by the league suggests that at least four of them aren’t especially close to returning.
After Koloko’s second 10-day contract expires, the Grizzlies will have to either sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him go, since players can’t sign three 10-day deals with the same team. As our tracker shows, Koloko is the first Memphis signee to get a second 10-day contract this season — Charles Bassey and Kobe Bufkin each just got one.
Koloko will earn $136,717 over the course of his second 10-day deal, while the Grizzlies carry a cap hit of $131,970.
Southwest Notes: Eason, Williamson, Koloko, Klay
Fourth-year forward Tari Eason has started five games for the Rockets so far this season, including each of the past four. Houston has won all five of those contests, and William Guillory of The Athletic believes the team is reaping the benefits of Eason’s unpredictable, versatile playing style.
“He’s very unique and he impacts the game even if you don’t call plays for him all the time,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “We’re starting to add him to more things, whether he’s a (ball-)handler or a screener. He’s going crash the glass at a high level, like a lot of our guys. He’s shooting the ball extremely well, so the spacing is going to be good with him.”
As Guillory observes, the Rockets have experimented with different starters alongside Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. — Josh Okogie hasn’t always given the team enough shooting in that role, while two-big units featuring Steven Adams can be vulnerable against opponents featuring multiple play-making ball-handlers.
While lineups featuring Okogie (+9.7 net rating) or Reed Sheppard (+7.9) alongside those “core four” starters have performed better than the one with Adams (-4.3), their effectiveness pales in comparison to the remarkable +47.4 net rating that the group with Eason has put up in 51 minutes of action. The sample size is small, but Houston figures to continue deploying that starting five for now.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- After coming off the bench in his first seven games back from an adductor strain, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to the starting lineup for the past two contests and registered his first two 30-point games of the season. However, it has been of little help to the Pelicans, who have now lost five games in a row and have the NBA’s second-worst record at 8-27. “Just overall, a lack of pride in physicality on (the defensive) end of the floor,” head coach James Borrego said after his team gave up 134 points to a shorthanded Bulls team on Wednesday, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
- Christian Koloko‘s 10-day contract with the Grizzlies expired on Thursday after he averaged 18.6 minutes per game in five appearances, including one start, as a hardship addition. It’s unclear whether or not Memphis still qualifies for a hardship exception, which depends in part on when their injured players are projected to return. If the Grizzlies can’t re-sign Koloko to another hardship deal, he could get another 10-day contract as soon as Monday, when the standard 10-day window opens for the 2025/26 season, but that would require the team to open up a spot on its 15-man roster.
- After coming off the bench just 41 times in his 12 previous NBA seasons – primarily as a rookie – Mavericks wing Klay Thompson has had to adjust to a sixth-man role this year. Head coach Jason Kidd recently praised the 35-year-old for the way he has handled the change, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “For Klay, coming off the bench he’s been great,” Kidd said. “He’s playing his role at a very high level for us. Being able to anchor that second group, being able to get shots for him and then just his voice, not just on the bench or in the locker room, but also on the floor. For our young players, he’s been great.” Thompson has averaged 11.9 PPG and made 37.1% of his three-pointers in 24 games as a reserve this season, as opposed to 8.8 PPG and 27.5% in eight starts.
Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Iisalo, Jackson, Landale, Koloko
The relationship between Ja Morant and head coach Tuomas Iisalo looked rocky after the Grizzlies‘ starting point guard was suspended by the team for one game early in the season, but it seems to be in a better place at the moment, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscriber link).
Iisaslo criticized Morant’s “leadership and effort” following an October 31 loss to the Lakers, while Morant — who questioned Iisalo’s unorthodox substitution patterns — responded to his coach in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
Morant had 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes during Friday’s win over Milwaukee, his first game back following a four-game absence, Cole writes. Iisalo said the Grizzlies and Morant are still trying to find an ideal balance as the team monitors the 26-year-old minutes.
“I think both of us were very happy that he was able to express himself fully and then still not have those long stretches where he’s off the court or on the bench,” Iisalo said after Friday’s game.
Here’s more from Memphis:
- Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled mightily to open the season, but he has caught fire of late, Cole adds. Jackson thinks his slow start was a result of beating his projected return timeline from offseason turf toe surgery. “I think I was still just recovering from surgery, honestly,” Jackson said. “That probably took a bigger toll on me than I even knew of. I think my whole goal was to just be healthy, so when I got back playing, I didn’t really think anything of it, and I just kind of assumed that I would be exactly who I was immediately.”
- Center Jock Landale was a late scratch for Friday’s game vs. Milwaukee due to right calf soreness, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter). Landale, who is averaging career highs of 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 22.3 minutes per game on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, will likely miss his second straight contest on Sunday in Washington — he has been downgraded to doubtful ahead of tip-off, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).
- With big men Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Landale out with injuries Friday, Iisaslo gave Christian Koloko extended playing time and the 25-year-old center responded well, Cole writes in the same subscriber-only story. “He wasn’t scheduled for this type of minutes,” Iisalo said. “We were thinking more in terms of what happened in Utah, and it was a complete surprise that Jock wasn’t able to go. … I was very impressed with his ability to step out and guard different type of guys. Christian has made a good impression on us.” Koloko, who is on a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis, finished with four points, three rebounds, three steals and one block and was a game-high plus-23 in 28 minutes.
Grizzlies Sign Christian Koloko To 10-Day Hardship Contract
10:25 am: The signing is official, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).
9:54 am: The Grizzlies will sign center Christian Koloko to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Koloko, 25, began the season on a two-way deal with the Lakers, but he was waived in late November to create an opening for the team to add Drew Timme. Koloko made two brief appearances before the move, with no points and one rebound in six total minutes.
The Austin Spurs acquired his G League rights last week, claiming him off the waiver wire. He has played in four total G League games this season, two with Austin and two with the South Bay Lakers.
Koloko was selected with the 33rd pick in the 2022 draft and had a strong rookie season with Toronto. However, a blood clot issue prevented him from playing in 2023/24 and he was released in January of that season. The Lakers signed him to a two-way contract in July 2024, and he was medically cleared to resume his career by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel three months later.
He has appeared in 97 total NBA games with career averages of 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night.
The Grizzlies qualify for the hardship exception because of massive injury issues. Eight players are listed as unavailable for Monday’s game at Oklahoma City, including four on standard contracts – Zach Edey, Ty Jerome, John Konchar, and Scotty Pippen Jr. – who have missed three or more consecutive games and are expected to remain out for at least two more weeks.
Spurs’ G League Affiliate Acquires Christian Koloko
The Austin Spurs have acquired the G League rights to Christian Koloko from the available player pool, San Antonio’s affiliate team announced in a press release.
Koloko was technically claimed off the waiver wire, per the NBAGL’s transaction log.
The 33rd overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft, Koloko had a promising rookie season with the Raptors, but he was unable to suit up during the 2023/24 campaign due to a blood clot issue and was released by Toronto in January 2024. The 6’11” center signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in July 2024 and was medically cleared to resume his career by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel in October 2024.
Koloko spent all of last season with the Lakers and re-signed with Los Angeles on another two-way deal in July. However, the Lakers waived the Cameroonian big man in late November to make roster space for Drew Timme.
In 97 career NBA games, Koloko has averaged 2.8 points, 2.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per contest.
Despite being acquired by Austin, Koloko remains an unrestricted NBA free agent.
Lakers Sign Drew Timme, Waive Christian Koloko
November 25: The Lakers have officially signed Timme to a two-way contract and waived Koloko, the team announced today in a press release.
As our tracker shows, Timme will be eligible to appear in up to 40 regular season games for Los Angeles.
November 24: Confirming the Lakers’ plan to sign Timme to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving Koloko to create an opening for the newcomer.
November 21: The Lakers plan to sign free agent big man Drew Timme to a two-way contract, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
Los Angeles’ three two-way spots are currently occupied by Nick Smith Jr., Christian Koloko and Chris Manon. Siegel hears Smith won’t be the odd man out, so either Koloko or Manon will be released to make roster space for Timme.
Timme, who had a decorated college career at Gonzaga, went undrafted in 2023 and spent most of his first two post-college seasons in the G League. The Nets signed him to a two-year standard contract in late March after a strong 2024/25 regular season with Brooklyn’s affiliate team in Long Island.
The Nets picked up their $1,955,377 option on Timme in late June, but his salary was fully non-guaranteed, and they wound up waiving him during the preseason. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in nine appearances (28.2 minutes per game) with Brooklyn down the stretch last season. His shooting line was .441/.257/.625.
Timme, who put up big numbers for the Nets in Summer League (25.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.0 SPG in three games), has been playing for the NBAGL’s South Bay Lakers to open 2025/26. In four Tip-Off Tournament games (34.1 MPG) this fall, he has averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .481/.240/.762 shooting.
Manon, an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt, has made two garbage-time appearances with the Lakers this fall. The 23-year-old wing has been highly productive in four games (33.4 MPG) with South Bay, averaging 18.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.5 APG on .458/.500/.789 shooting. He currently leads the G League in steals per game (3.5) and is tied for fourth in blocks per game (2.8).
Koloko, a third-year center, has also made a pair of garbage-time appearances with L.A. this season after getting into 37 games in 2024/25. He averaged 2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 9.2 MPG last season for Los Angeles.
Lakers Notes: Smart, Vanderbilt, Kleber, Backcourt Rotation, Koloko
Head coach JJ Redick is hoping the offseason addition of Marcus Smart and better health from Jarred Vanderbilt will improve the Lakers‘ perimeter defense, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year and Vanderbilt has also been a highly regarded defender, but they’ve both been slowed by injuries over the past two seasons.
“With a healthy Vando and hopefully a healthy Marcus, our ability to put more pressure on the basketball earlier in the defensive possession will be a real thing,” Redick said.
Smart has been limited in camp due to Achilles tendinopathy, but Redick told reporters that he should be fully recovered by the end of the week. He has only played 54 combined games the past two seasons, and the Lakers are counting on him to be an anchor for their defense.
“I’ve talked with JJ and what he expects from me on both ends, especially the defensive end,” Smart said. “It’s everything I’ve been doing my whole career. It’s nothing new and I remember the first thing he told me was, ‘Hey, if we’re going to get the Celtics’ Marcus Smart, that’s who we want, that’s who we need. And we need you to be that person and be who you are.’ So for me, it’s just coming out and giving everything I got on this court and leaving it out there every night.”
Vanderbilt had surgery on both feet last summer and didn’t make his season debut until January 25. He said he’s feeling much better in training camp after being able to train during the offseason.
“It feels great being able to have a full summer under my belt. I was able to really work on my game, work on my body, and just having that confidence going into the year instead of playing catch up,” Vanderbilt said. “Being able to be a part of training camp early, and it’s a different level of approach and preparation when you already put the work in and being able to start fresh.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Maxi Kleber was set to undergo an MRI on Wednesday after tweaking his quad on the second day of camp, according to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha (Twitter link). Redick said the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Buha adds.
- Redick listed Smart, Gabe Vincent and Jake LaRavia as locks for the backcourt rotation along with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Buha tweets.
- Christian Koloko believes this year’s version of the Lakers is more driven to succeed (Twitter video link from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). “You can just see that everybody is like more hungry,” K0loko said. “We knew what we did last year, we could have done better. We want to do better. We want to win the championship. Everybody knows what it takes to get to that next level.”
Lakers Add Christian Koloko, Chris Manon On Two-Way Deals
July 24: Manon is officially a Laker now as well, according to the team (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).
July 23: Koloko has officially been signed to a two-way contract, Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets.
July 21: The Lakers are filling two of their three two-way slots by signing Christian Koloko and Chris Manon, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
L.A. made Koloko a restricted free agent in June when the team gave him a qualifying offer. There was an expectation he’d return to the Lakers, but he drew outside interest as well, tweets Charania.
The 7’1″ center from Cameroon showed promise as a rookie with Toronto in 2022/23 after being selected No. 33 overall in the 2022 draft, but his career was sidetracked by a blood clot issue which sidelined him for the entire 2023/24 season. He was medically cleared to continue playing last fall and wound up with the Lakers on a two-way contract.
Koloko made 37 appearances with the Lakers last season, averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest. He also played in 12 G League games with the Lakers’ affiliate (South Bay), averaging 14.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 3.3 BPG in 29.6 MPG.
The 25-year-old also made five Summer League appearances in Las Vegas, averaging 7.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 2.6 BPG in 17.5 MPG.
Manon, a 6’5″ guard/forward, went undrafted out of Vanderbilt last month. He played for the Warriors in both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, Charania notes.
Manon thrived at creating turnovers in his four-year college career, the first three of which he spent with Cornell. He posted career averages of 9.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.1 APG and 2.0 SPG on .535/.304/.728 shooting in just 19.6 MPG.
The 23-year-old wing made seven total Summer League appearances for Golden State (17.1 MPG), per RealGM, averaging 9.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.4 BPG, with a shooting line of .442/.286/.676.
All three of the Lakers’ two-way spots will be filled once the deals for Koloko and Manon are official, with center Trey Jemison currently the third player on a two-way contract.
The Lakers reportedly agreed to a two-way deal with former Villanova forward Eric Dixon shortly after he went undrafted in June. It’s unclear what will happen with Dixon now that all three spots are occupied, but it’s worth noting that two-way contracts are non-guaranteed and don’t count against the salary cap, so further changes are certainly possible.
Assuming L.A. eventually carries a full 15-man standard roster (the team may open the season with 14), both Koloko and Manon can be active for up to 50 games next season. Each player will earn $636,435 in ’25/26.