Raptors Sign C Christian Koloko to Multi-Year Deal
The Toronto Raptors have signed C Christian Koloko to a multi-year deal. The team is dipping into their mid-level exception to sign Koloko. The Raptors have hard-capped their salary cap at $156 million this season. Koloko’s contract is worth around $7.8 million less than that. The Raptors will have to spend a portion of their cap space on other free agents and draft picks this summer.
Christian Koloko is a seven-foot center from Arizona. He was drafted by the Raptors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. As a junior, he averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He was also named to the Pac-12 first team and won the Most Improved Player award. In the summer league, Koloko averaged 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals in 22.0 minutes.
The Raptors also added Otto Porter Jr., a Cameroonian, to the roster. While he has yet to make his debut with the Raptors, he hopes to be a role model for young Cameroon players.
The Raptors have multiple centers vying for a roster spot. The organization has operated in this fashion for several seasons. One of the young players fighting for a roster spot is DJ Wilson. He was signed to fill the role left open by COVID-19. At first, he did not figure to last much longer than a trial run with the team. However, the Raptors saw potential in him and brought him back twice more.
After a slow start, the Raptors went ahead by more than 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Atlanta Hawks cut the lead to as many as 15, but Toronto responded with a 16-point run. Eventually, Christian Koloko slashed to the rim for a dunk, giving the Raptors a 24 point lead. After that, Nick Nurse took the bench out to watch the rest of the game.
