Christian Koloko

Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Reaves, Olivari, Trade Market

October 12th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jarred Vanderbilt probably won’t play during the preseason, but the Lakers remain hopeful that he’ll be ready when the regular season tips off October 22, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The team is bringing Vanderbilt along slowly after he had surgery on both feet in May, and he continues to make progress toward being available for opening night. Coach J.J. Redick told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Vanderbilt hasn’t experienced any complications since training camp began.

“He’s following our ramp-up protocol,” Redick said. “He has not done any contact work. He has not participated in any non-contact practice. But we’re still trying to target the beginning of the season. Our ramp-up process, we’re on, sort of, target. So it remains to be seen if he’ll be available. But no setbacks. And he just continues to work his way back.”

Vanderbilt became an immediate starter after being acquired from Utah at the 2023 trade deadline and played an important role as the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals. Injuries limited him to 29 games last season, and his return could be vital for Redick as he installs new defensive schemes.

“We’ve had some fun with one of our zones,” Redick said. “We haven’t practiced it, but we’ve used it in a game a couple times. We have another version of a zone that features [Vanderbilt]. I’m looking forward to experimenting with that. Probably won’t get to experiment with it in the preseason.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves missed Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, but Redick doesn’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Price adds. He was a non-contact participant in today’s practice and could return for Tuesday’s matchup with Golden State.
Quincy Olivari, who’s in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, made a strong impression on his teammates and coaches Thursday night, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The rookie guard out of Xavier put up 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the fourth quarter and helped to spark a 20-0 run. Olivari said it was a “fairly easy decision” to join the Lakers, even though there’s not a roster spot available, especially after he was recruited following the draft by Nick Mazzella, general manager of the team’s South Bay affiliate in the G League. “He takes the game very seriously,” Redick said. “He’s a player who, I talk about care factor, he’s a player who has a care factor for doing it the right way and wanting to execute whatever vision you give him. I’m excited that he’s in our program, I really am. We look at him as a coaching staff in very high regard.”
The Lakers are exploring the trade market in hopes of adding another center, Shams Charania of ESPN said Friday in his debut appearance on NBA Today (video link). Charania didn’t mention any potential targets, but he pointed out that Christian Wood continues to recover after having knee surgery last month, while two-way player Christian Koloko still hasn’t received medical clearance to return to the league, even though Lakers doctors remain confident it will eventually happen.

Lakers’ Pelinka, Redick Talk Roster, Lack Of Trades, Health, More

September 25th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Addressing the media alongside head coach JJ Redick on Wednesday, Lakers executive VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said it will take about 30 or so games to properly evaluate the team’s 2024/25 roster.

The Lakers only added four outside players this offseason, bringing in Dalton Knecht and Bronny James via the draft and adding two-way players Armel Traore and Christian Koloko. The team will primarily be banking on good health luck and internal improvement to take a step forward in the Western Conference hierarchy.

“We believe in this group,” Pelinka said according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).

The Lakers were in rumors revolving around Hawks guard Trae Young and other big names toward the start of the offseason, but didn’t end up pulling the trigger. If they did decide to swing for a star or role player down the line, their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks would be highly coveted.

“We would do a trade with both picks if that leads to sustainable Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said, per Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina (Twitter link). “We would also use one pick to make a marginal upgrade if we felt that was the right thing to do.”

Here are a few of the more interesting comments from Pelinka and Redick from today’s presser:

Jarred Vanderbilt underwent procedures on each of his feet this offseason, tweets The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. Pelinka said both operations were successful and he’s optimistic the forward will be ready for the start of the season. According to Pelinka, the surgeries happened at the beginning of the Lakers’ offseason. Vanderbilt had a bone spur in one foot and the doctor recommended going ahead and cleaning up the other foot since he was missing time anyways (Twitter link via Buha).
According to Pelinka, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino have all been cleared to participate in training camp (Twitter link via Buha). Hachimura didn’t miss much time last season, but Vincent and Hood-Schifino combined to play in just 32 games. The Lakers paid $33MM over three seasons to Vincent last year but he was limited to 11 appearances due to a knee injury. He’ll likely be relied on more this coming season.
Redick says he’s spoken to D’Angelo Russell more than any other Lakers player. His message to the guard, according to McMenamin (Twitter link), has been “Let’s put you in position to have a career year.” Russell averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists per game last year while making 41.5% of his three-point attempts.
Redick said he and his staff have already discussed the moment that LeBron James and Bronny James will first share the court in the regular season, McMenamin tweets. Redick will involve both players in the process, but doesn’t view coaching the pair as a challenge.
Pelinka said he thinks new two-way center Christian Koloko will be cleared by the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel sooner rather than later, according to The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price (Twitter link). Koloko missed all of last season due to career-threatening blood clots.

Lakers Sign Christian Koloko To Two-Way Deal

September 16th, 2024 at 3:44pm CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 16: The Lakers have officially signed Koloko, according to the team, who confirmed in a press release that they’ve waived Hinson to open up a spot for the newcomer.

SEPTEMBER 14: The Lakers and free agent big man Christian Koloko have agreed to a contract, agent Calvin Andrews tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Koloko will get a chance to compete for frontcourt minutes in Los Angeles, per Charania.

Koloko is expected to sign a two-way deal, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), which means the Lakers will need to release one of their current two-way players. Armel Traore, Blake Hinson, or Colin Castleton currently occupy L.A.’s two-way slots.

Koloko is on the comeback trail after missing the entire 2023/24 season due to a blood clot issue. Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported in July that the seven-footer had received medical clearance to resume playing, while Andrews said last month that his client had a “major breakthrough” with his blood clot issue, which was addressed via corrective surgery.

Koloko is still awaiting formal clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel. Sources tell Woike (Twitter link) that while the 24-year-old can technically sign the contract before receiving clearance from the panel, the signing will have to be reviewed by the NBA, and he can’t participate in on-court work until he’s cleared.

The Clippers, the Spurs, and his former team, the Raptors, were also interested in signing Koloko, as Charania reported on Friday night.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Koloko appeared in 58 games for Toronto as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 13.8 minutes per game across 58 appearances (19 starts). He was the Pac 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in his final college season at Arizona in 2021/22.

The Lakers will be without center Christian Wood this fall after the big man recently underwent knee surgery that is expected to sideline him for at least eight weeks, so they could use more depth up front.

Lakers Frontrunners To Sign Christian Koloko

September 13th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are the frontrunners to sign free agent big man Christian Koloko, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania, Koloko is also drawing interest from the Clippers, the Spurs, and his former team, the Raptors.

Koloko, who is still finalizing his decision on where he’ll sign, is on the comeback trail after missing all of the 2023/24 season due to a blood clot issue.

Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported in July that the seven-footer had received medical clearance to resume playing, while agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports said last month that his client had a “major breakthrough” with his blood clot issue, which was addressed via corrective surgery.

Koloko held a workout for potential suitors during the Las Vegas Summer League in July and has been able to participate in five-on-five, full-contact drills this offseason as he attempts to get back to 100% health. Chris Johnson, a trainer who has worked with a number of NBA players, posted a YouTube video in August of Koloko taking part in a scrimmage alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Johnson, Jordan Clarkson, Delon Wright, and several other active NBAers.

Although Koloko is still awaiting formal clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel, it sounds like he continues to trend in the right direction. And according to Charania, the 24-year-old is technically eligible to sign with a team before being cleared by that panel.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Koloko appeared in 58 games for the Raptors as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 13.8 minutes per game across 58 appearances (19 starts). He was the Pac 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in his final college season at Arizona in 2021/22

The Lakers will be without center Christian Wood this fall after the big man underwent knee surgery this week that is expected to sideline him for at least eight weeks, so they could use more depth in their frontcourt. However, Los Angeles is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and is narrowly operating below the second tax apron.

It’s unclear if the Lakers’ plan would be to sign Koloko to a standard deal or perhaps to bring him on a two-way contract. Inking him to a two-way pact would require waiving one of Armel Traore, Blake Hinson, or Colin Castleton, who currently occupy L.A.’s two-way slots.

The Clippers and Spurs also have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, while the Raptors have 14 players on guaranteed deals, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed salary. The Clippers have a two-way slot open; San Antonio and Toronto don’t, for now.

Latest On Christian Koloko’s Comeback Effort

August 10th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Raptors big man Christian Koloko, who missed all of the 2023/24 season due to a blood clot issue that was said to be career-threatening, is on the comeback trail, according to Aaron Rose of SI.com.

After Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported last month that Koloko had received medical clearance to resume playing, agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports provided an update to Rose on where things stand now with his client.

“We had a major breakthrough with his blood clot issue,” Andrews said. “They found the issue and he had corrective surgery and has been recovering (for) the last four months.”

According to Andrews, Koloko has been off blood thinners for the last month and will undergo a scan for blood clots later in August. “If there’s none, then everything is fine,” Andrews said.

Koloko held a workout for potential suitors during last month’s Las Vegas Summer League and has been able to participate in five-on-five, full-contact drills in recent weeks as he attempts to get back to 100% health. Chris Johnson, a trainer who has worked with a number of NBA players, posted a YouTube video this week of Koloko taking part in a scrimmage alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Johnson, Jordan Clarkson, Delon Wright, and several other active NBAers.

However, Koloko isn’t free to sign an NBA contract yet. As Rose details, the seven-footer will still need to be cleared by the league’s Fitness-to-Play panel, which could take a few more weeks. The hope is that it will happen before the start of the 2024/25 season, in which case Koloko would be able to join any NBA team — including his former club.

“The Raptors have kept very close eyes on his situation,” Andrews said. “And Koloko would have no problem coming back to the Raptors.”

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Koloko appeared in 58 games for Toronto as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 13.8 minutes per game across 58 appearances (19 starts). The former Arizona standout is still just 24 years old.

Atlantic Notes: Martin, Edwards, Koloko, Madar

July 17th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

A shortage of playing time last season led KJ Martin to explore free agency, but he decided his best opportunity is still with the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Martin appeared in 58 games after being acquired from the Clippers in November, but he only logged 12.3 minutes per night. He recently accepted a two-year deal worth up to $16MM because Philadelphia’s revamped roster is short on power forwards.

“The roster was open,” Martin said. “So it was obviously a possibility. My agent spoke to the front office, and they obviously spoke highly of me. So that was a big part of it, and looking where the dominoes fell, it just felt like the right situation [after Paul George] came and they really don’t have a lot of fours.”

Martin is hoping to win a starting job in training camp, but he’s ready to help the team even if he’s coming off the bench again. With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George handling most of the offense, Martin believes he’s the type of complementary player who fits well alongside them.

“You see those guys and what we will need in a four man,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t need a guy out there like Tyrese, Joel, and PG. They’re going to have the ball most of the time. So now you need guys that can kind of play off the ball, do little things. Obviously, I can play the four, I can play the dunker, I can be a screener in certain situations, so it just feels right. It just feels like the right situation.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

A year ago, Justin Edwards was expected to be a high lottery pick, so it’s surprising to see him on a two-way contract with the Sixers after going undrafted, Pompey adds in a separate story. A disappointing season at Kentucky may have changed the way that scouts view Edwards, but it hasn’t shaken his confidence. “I feel like I was the best player in the draft,” he said. “But I’ve always been coming from behind my entire life, so it ain’t nothing, really. It’s just another wall I got to run through. I’m going to get through another obstacle so I’ll be cared for.”
Former Raptors center Christian Koloko received clearance from his doctors to resume playing and has been participating in free agent showcases with other NBA players, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Koloko sat out all of last season with a blood clot issue, and he’ll have to be approved by the league’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can sign a contract. Murphy states that Toronto waived Koloko because it needed a roster space and he was unable to play, but the organization still believes in his talent.
Celtics draft-and-stash player Yam Madar has signed with FC Bayern, the German team announced in a press release. The 23-year-old guard, who was selected with the 47th pick in 2020, has also played for Partizan Belgrade and Fenerbahce in Istanbul.

Christian Koloko Facing Career-Threatening Blood Clot Issue

January 18th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Raptors center Christian Koloko has a blood clot issue that is threatening his basketball career, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

According to Charania, the NBA told teams today that Koloko was referred to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which means he is unable to play or practice in the league until he is cleared.

Koloko was waived by the Raptors yesterday following the Pascal Siakam trade and Charania says there is no shortage of teams who were interested in acquiring him before learning of this development.

The NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel helps deal with and determine options for players with potentially life-threatening injuries or conditions.

Koloko had a promising rookie season in 2022/23 after being selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri spoke highly of Koloko on Thursday and said he saw the former Arizona center as part of Toronto’s future.

Recurring issues with blood clots forced former NBA players like Chris Bosh and Mirza Teletovic into early retirement in the past. Other players – including Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram – have been able to resume their careers following a single occurrence of a blood clot.

Our best wishes go out to Koloko and we hope he is able to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilling life and career.

Raptors’ Ujiri: More Trades “Definitely” Possible

January 18th, 2024 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have made a pair of blockbuster trades in the past few weeks, dealing away longtime veteran forwards OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam for packages centered on young players and draft picks, respectively. They also acquired a valuable role player in swingman Bruce Brown, who is on a pseudo-expiring $22MM contract (2024/25 is a team option for $23MM).

Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri said more trades are “definitely” a possibility ahead of the February 8 deadline, as Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca relays (via Twitter). In particular, Ujiri highlighted shooting and flexibility as areas of emphasis, Murphy adds.

In a Twitter thread, Murphy passes along several noteworthy comments from Ujiri’s press conference addressing the trades, his close relationship with Siakam, the team’s plans for the future, and much more.

According to Murphy, Ujiri was “clearly quite emotional” when discussing the moves, which he called “incredibly difficult.”

“These things happen but that one is close to me,” he said. “I hate to go on this little rant, but what I think of the world globally, and what these guys represent, and where I come from, where they come from, it’s meant a lot to me. … Trust me, we’ve analyzed this in every single way.”

“Two African guys that won a championship, I share that with him,” Ujiri said of Siakam (Twitter video link via The Shift). “ … Again, I say to you guys, that guy’s success is my success no matter where he is.”

Ujiri wanted to give the previous roster as much time as it could, but it was trending in the wrong direction. He also cited free agency — both Anunoby and Siakam can be unrestricted free agents this summer — and a desire to get younger around Scottie Barnes as key factors in the moves, per Murphy.

Here’s more from Ujiri’s lengthy press conference:

Ujiri had nothing but praise for how Siakam carried himself and performed over the past year while dealing with trade rumors, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “He handled it perfectly,” Ujiri said of Siakam. “I give him 100 out of 100. It has to be difficult, and I said that to him. … Nothing stopped him from coming to work everyday and trying to be the best he could be while he performed. We truly respect that.” However, Ujiri says he regrets how he handled things on his end during the offseason, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter). “I think the lines of communication in the summer were not that great. That part I’m not particularly proud of,” Ujiri said, adding that he apologized to Siakam.
When asked if he regretted not making more trades last season, Ujiri said he didn’t, citing a desire to give the 2022/23 team more chances to succeed. He also doesn’t second-guess himself about last year’s trade for Jakob Poeltl. “When you trade a first-round pick for a starting center in the NBA, in our business and for us, it’s good — for now and for the future,” Ujiri said, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). “I’m not going to sit here and cry over spilled milk. If it was a mistake, it was a mistake, but it was good value for us.”
Regarding Christian Koloko, whom the Raptors waived to create roster space for the latest deal, Ujiri said his medical status was in the hands of the NBA. Koloko has yet to play this season due to a respiratory issue. “We’ve exhausted all our options there,” Ujiri said (Twitter link via Murphy) “I can’t comment on particulars. It’s really unfortunate. … He was someone we really believed in. Incredible talent. We saw as the future of this team.“
The Raptors could have four picks in the 2024 draft, depending on what happens with their own first-rounder (it will be sent to San Antonio as part of the Poeltl deal if it lands outside the top six). They acquired the Pistons’ second-round pick in the Anunoby deal, plus two more 2024 first-rounders from Indiana that are projected to be in the latter portion of what’s considered a weak draft class. Ujiri “strongly doubts” that the Raptors will actually keep all of those picks, tweets Murphy.

Raptors Trade Pascal Siakam To Pacers, Waive Christian Koloko

January 17th, 2024 at 9:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have traded star forward Pascal Siakam to the Pacers for Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis, Jordan Nwora, two 2024 first-round picks, and a top-four protected 2026 first-rounder, Indiana announced in a press release.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Pascal to Indiana,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. “As a two-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All Star, Pascal is a player that our organization has long admired and respected. We feel that his unique offensive skillset will complement our style of play, while his defensive versatility will be a valuable asset to our team.”

The Raptors also announced the trade is complete in their own press release.

“Pascal is a champion, an integral part of winning teams and an example of what can be achieved with dedication, perseverance, hard work and tenacity,” said Raptors vice chairman and president Masai Ujiri. “We’re lucky to have seen Pascal develop into the man and player that he is today – and we are grateful for everything he has done for our city and for our franchise. We wish him all good things.

“This is a time of change for our team, and we welcome Bruce, Jordan and Kira to the Raptors and to Toronto. Bruce is a world champion, and we look forward to his two-way play and added toughness on the court. We continue the work of getting better every day, and continue moving forward in our quest to win here in Toronto.”

The Raptors needed to release a player to complete the deal, and that roster casualty was second-year center Christian Koloko, who has yet to play this season due to a respiratory issue. Assuming he clears waivers, Toronto will be on the hook for Koloko’s full 2023/24 salary, which comes in at $1,719,864. His salary for next season was non-guaranteed.

As a rookie last season, Koloko showed promise as a rim protector, averaging 3.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 58 games, including 19 starts (13.8 MPG).

According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), the Raptors are still “very high” on Koloko, but since there’s no timeline for his return to action, he was the odd man out. Murphy wouldn’t be surprised if Toronto signs Koloko to a G League contract or re-signs him to an NBA deal in the future.

Echoing that last point, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca believes there’s “a good chance” Koloko will remain with the Raptors in some capacity (Twitter link). Grange also hears Koloko has been ramping up his activity lately, but it’s unknown when the Cameroonian big man will be cleared to play again.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, all four players involved in the deal can be traded again prior to the February 8 deadline but cannot be aggregated with other salaries. The Raptors also created a $10.2MM traded player exception in the deal, per Marks (Twitter link).

The Raptors now have a full 15-man roster, while the Pacers have 13 players on standard deals. Teams aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than 14 days at a time, so Indiana will have two weeks to re-add a 14th man.

For more details on the blockbuster trade, check out our story from earlier in the day, before it became official.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Koloko, Siakam, Sixers

December 5th, 2023 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on FanDuel’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said that he anticipates the Celtics being active on the trade market as February’s deadline nears. The goal for the C’s, Charania says, will be to “beef up” their bench rotation.

The expectation coming into the season was that Boston would have a top-heavy roster, and that has certainly been the case so far this fall. Top scorers Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis have averaged nearly 69 combined points per game, while the club’s reserves are totaling just 25.7 points per contest, which ranks 29th in the NBA.

As Charania observes, the Celtics parted with a pair of future first-round picks in their preseason trade for Jrue Holiday, but one of those came from Golden State, so they still have some flexibility with draft assets going forward and could theoretically move multiple first-rounders. The team also has a trade exception worth approximately $6.2MM that could come in handy in a deal involving a player earning a modest salary.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

There are still no concrete updates on the status of Raptors big man Christian Koloko, who has been sidelined since Summer League due to a respiratory issue, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The 23-year-old appeared in 58 games as a rookie last season, but is still just doing drill work with coaches after practices and has yet to participate in full practices this fall, Grange notes.
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam is in the midst of one of the worst shooting slumps of his career, having made just five of his last 52 three-pointers, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Siakam’s poor shooting has been a major factor in Toronto’s underwhelming 33.7% rate on threes (28th in the NBA), but he’s confident he’ll turn things around. “I think the most important [thing] is just putting the work in,” Siakam said. “… Either you stop shooting them or the other thing you do is you keep shooting and it just kinda [evens out]. I think it’s just basketball. It happens and you just got to continue to work on it, trust the work and the process.”
The scheduling around the in-season tournament has resulted in a stretch of four consecutive off-days for the Sixers. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a closer look at how the 76ers have been taking advantage of the break in their schedule, including head coach Nick Nurse giving his team two days off followed by two days of “sharp, intense” practices.

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