The Toronto Raptors drafted big man Christian Koloko with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Koloko played a major role for the Raptors in his rookie campaign, playing in 58 of the team’s 82 games. However, a medical issue kept him out to begin the 2023-24 season, and one day after the Pascal Siakam trade, president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri waived Koloko.
It wasn’t long before Koloko was deemed medically unfit to play due to potentially life-threatening blood clots. The NBA placed Koloko on their Fitness-to-Play panel, meaning that teams are unable to sign Koloko until he is medically cleared to return to basketball activity, which has not happened yet.
The Raptors and Koloko had a great relationship, and Ujiri would certainly love the chance to see Koloko play in Toronto again. When asked about the big man in his end-of-season press conference, he said that he is absolutely still looking out for Koloko’s status, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
“We’re still checking on it. We’re still keeping tabs on him and seeing where things go with his medical. We really wish him the best.”
Koloko — on the court — would be a great fit for what the Raptors are looking to accomplish in the coming year. A young, long, rangy and athletic center with good defensive instincts can go a long way in what the Raptors want, and could even allow them to focus on other things with their potential three top-31 draft picks.
But on a personal side, Koloko’s health is by far the first and only important matter. Hopefully, the league can clear Koloko soon and he can return to the NBA and help a team win soon. And if that does happen, the hope is that it can be the team that drafted him in the Raptors.
Masai Ujiri talks free agency
With the 2023-24 season in the books, the Toronto Raptors now get set for the offseason. The Raptors will head into free agency with some important decisions to make.
Gary Trent Jr. is an unrestricted free agent and Bruce Brown has a $23 million team option.
Trent Jr. played in 71 games for the Raptors this season and averaged 13.7 points on 39.3 percent shooting from three. It was a down year for Trent Jr. offensively. However, he contributed in other ways which earned him praise from Darko Rajakovic.
Bruce Brown was traded to Toronto as part of the Siakam deal. Brown failed to find consistency with the Raptors as he averaged 9.6 points in 34 games with the team. Brown blamed his struggles on a frustrating knee injury that he’s been dealing with since coming to Toronto.
Ujiri was asked about Trent Jr. and Brown going into free agency, saying that he is going to assess as he goes when it comes to those two players.
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