Raptors Waive Former 2nd Round Pick

Christian Koloko just couldn’t get back on the court fast enough.

The 23-year-old second-round draft pick was waived by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night as a roster casualty of the Pascal Siakam trade with the Indiana Pacers. Toronto’s addition of Bruce Brown Jr., Kira Lewis, and Jordan Nwora gave the Raptors one too many players on the roster.

Koloko didn’t appear in a game this season for Toronto as he battled through ongoing respiratory issues dating back to before Summer League. He’d begun doing some more practicing lately, but the team had no update on his status, and it was unclear when he’d return.

The 7-foot Cameroonian was drafted 33^rd overall in 2022 with a draft pick Toronto acquired from the San Antonio Spurs. The Raptors sent Goran Dragic and a first-round pick to San Antonio for Thad Young and the pick that became Koloko.

As a rookie, Koloko appeared in 53 games, starting 19 for Toronto in 2022-23. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 48% from the floor.

It looked like Koloko would be poised to take on a bigger role in Toronto’s frontcourt heading into this season, but he was never able to return to the court.

Toronto will now rely on Jakob Poeltl as the team’s starting center when he’s healthy and two-way center Jontay Porter in the frontcourt. The two are Toronto’s only traditional big men on the roster.

Koloko’s had $2 million in non-guaranteed money set for next year that Toronto will no longer have to pay.