During NBA free agency this past summer, the Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams with the fewest active rosters. Given that most people anticipated general manager Rob Pelinka to give LeBron James and Anthony Davis a better supporting cast, it came as a bit of a surprise.
Despite having a 47-35 record at the end of the regular season, Los Angeles was defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
James decided to re-sign with the Lakers, but their team lacks championship talent. It remains to be seen if a significant move is made in advance of the regular season, which begins next month.
However, the Lakers signed an intriguing free agent, and training camp is about to begin here.
Christian Koloko, a former second-round choice of the Toronto Raptors, has chosen to sign with the Lakers over other suitors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
An intriguing name for the 2022 NBA Draft was Koloko. Most predicted that the tall 7-foot-1 center would be selected in the first round of the yearly competition. Rather, he plummeted to the top of the subsequent round.
Before deciding to join pro, Koloko was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore season.
Regretfully, he had health problems during his Raptors tenure. He was added to the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel back in April 2022 when it was discovered that he had blood clot problems that could end his career. According to Charania, the big man must receive approval from that panel in order to sign a contract with the Lakers.
He will compete to earn a spot in the Lakers’ rotation if that really happens.
