Former Lakers center Colin Castleton is finding a new home

To make room for the preseason contract, dear Quincy Olivari, the Los Angeles Lakers opted to release center Colin Castleton. It didn’t take long for the big man to find a new home when Castleton signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers signed Castleton to a two-way contract in the summer of 2023 after he undrafted. He played 16 games for the Lakers in very limited minutes last season, but also spent a lot of time in the G League, where he showed his potential.

In 12 regular season games with the South Bay Lakers, Castleton averaged 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 53.8% from the field. He was even better during the G League Showcase, where he averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 blocks on 60.1% shooting.

Castleton is a capable big man with a solid all-around offensive game and good playmaking skills for his size, along with solid rim protection on the other end of the court, as he is an SEC All-Defensive Team selection as a senior at Florida.

With the Lakers bringing in Christian Koloko as a two-way player, and another front court player in Armel Traore also being a two-way player, Castleton became a bit more expendable. They felt Koloko could soon be cleared by the NBA to resume his career after a blood clot problem. Olivari’s play in the preseason ultimately forced the Lakers to make a move, as they had to find a way to keep the guard in the organization.

The Grizzlies recently converted another former Lakers two-way center to a standard contract, with Jay Huff joining their roster, freeing up the spot Castleton has occupied. Their first-round pick, Zach Edey, is the only other true center on the Grizzlies roster, as they prefer to pair a big body with Jaren Jackson Jr.

Christian Koloko begins the return process with South Bay Lakers

Christian Koloko has been officially cleared by the NBA and head coach JJ Redick confirmed it his process of returning to the NBA begins in the G League with the South Bay Lakers.

This makes sense because it gives Koloko a chance to slowly get going and get into shape, while also getting his groove back on the basketball court. The big man played in 58 games as a rookie with the Toronto Raptors in 2023 before being sidelined due to a blood clot issue.

He had great potential coming out of college, especially on defense. He was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Most Improved Player in his final collegiate season, where he averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

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