Toronto Raptors Waive Mo Bamba

The Toronto Raptors just pulled off one of the stranger roster moves you'll see this season. Just over a week after signing center Mo Bamba, the team waived him, ending what might be the shortest audition in recent NBA memory.

Suiting up for his sixth team in eight years, Bamba has pulled on five different jerseys since the 2022⁠–23 season. Playing a dozen games for the Salt Lake City Stars prior to being called up to Canada, Bamba was averaging an attractive 17.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks for the G-League squad. 

Before you start wondering what went wrong, this wasn't about Bamba failing an audition. It is the Raptors finding a loophole in the salary cap rules. Bamba's contract was non-guaranteed, and waiving him before the league-wide guarantee date allows the Raptors to avoid paying his full salary. The move saves Toronto money and roster flexibility as they navigate injuries and evaluate their options heading toward the February trade deadline.

Still, the optics are rough. Bamba, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, logged just four minutes against Orlando and 93 seconds of garbage time against Atlanta during his cup of coffee in Toronto. With just two shot attempts, two rebounds, and a blocked shot, that's barely enough time to break a sweat, let alone prove you belong on an NBA roster.

Here's the twist: Toronto might bring him right back. Now that 10-day contracts are available, the Raptors could re-sign Bamba for a pair of 10-day contracts after he officially clears waivers to use him as insurance while Jakob Poeltl works his way back from a back injury. While Bamba hasn't lived up to expectations, this is clearly just a financial situation rather than one based on performance. 

For Bamba, it's another frustrating chapter in a career that's never lived up to the lottery pedigree. The physical tools are undeniable at seven feet tall with elite length, but finding consistent minutes has been a struggle for years now. Whether the Raptors bring him back or not, one thing is clear: Bamba seems destined to be a bench filler rather than a key component. His best season came in 2021⁠–22 when he averaged 10 points, eight rebounds, and nearly two blocks per game, and now at the age of 27, that ceiling appears set.