Raptors Roster News: Raptors sign Mo Bamba, per Shams Charania
After a third of a season with one traditionally sized big man on the roster, and that one traditionally sized big man suffering from a bad back, the Toronto Raptors have finally decided to amend that problem. According to Blake Murphy, his deal is non-guaranteed.
Mo Bamba is enormous and a legitimate seven-footer. Drafted sixth overall in 2018, he washed out of the NBA recently. The Orlando Magic gave him plenty of chances, but despite being a legitimate floor spacer and shot blocker as a big, he never found a consistently important spot in the rotation outside of one season in 2021-22. That season, he averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 38.1 percent from deep. However, the real statistic was 25.7 minutes per game.
He never cracked 20 minutes again for his career. The next season he became a Los Angeles Laker, then he drifted to the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, and briefly New Orleans Pelicans. He never found a spot.
He’s a limited scorer, rebounder, defender, passer, and more. In fact, he may be a floor spacer and shot blocker, but for years, that was kind of all he did on the NBA court.
That may have changed this season in the G League. With the Salt Lake City Stars, he has been a much stronger scorer inside the arc, a better defender outside of blocking shots, and a far more impactful player overall. He has been one of the best players in the league in the G.
Bamba was huge in delivering the Raptors 905 its only loss of the season in the Showcase Cup Final. Our own Ian Finlayson covered it in depth here:
Bamba bossed the paint, engulfing the glass and missing only one shot from inside the arc. He also sparked a scorching shooting night from the stars with back-to-back triples in the first quarter
As a Raptor, Bamba can plug in immediately and give the team size, rebounding, and rim protection that it has sorely lacked. That ability to rebound will be tested, but if he solves any problems when Jakob Poeltl is out, he could well be a terrific signing. Michael Grange made some noise days ago about the Raptors being interested in Bamba, and he’s as plugged in with the Raptors as anyone else in the league. Shams Charania had the official news first.
The Raptors had a free roster spot to use, so the roster is now full. But this moves makes it unlikely for them to dodge the tax without further roster moves. I expect those will happen at some point before the trade deadline.
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