TORONTO — One-time and perhaps future Toronto Raptors centre Mo Bamba came prepared to play.
In the whirlwind 48 hours from when his deal with the Raptors was confirmed to his arrival the evening of Dec. 28, he had to pack up his life in Austin over Boxing Day and interrupt the brief break he was enjoying as the G League paused over the holidays.
“I got the call and was on the first flight out,” he said in the Raptors locker room last week shortly after logging four minutes in what was a 107-106 win over the Orlando Magic, the team that had drafted Bamba No. 6 overall in 2018.
It was a rocky start. The airline lost his luggage, but he came prepared just in case.
“Something told me to put some sneakers (in my carry-on), so I was lucky,” he said.
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Bamba hasn’t had much chance to use them in game situations, at least.
The Raptors waived the 27-year-old seven-footer Tuesday morning without him having taken the court other than those four minutes in the second quarter against the Magic.
But that doesn’t mean his time with the Raptors is over.
Since Bamba’s contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season if he was on the roster on Jan. 10, Toronto would have needed to waive him by 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Jan. 7 because it takes players 48 hours to clear waivers.
It means they won’t have him Wednesday night against Charlotte, where the Raptors kick off a quick two-game road trip against the Hornets (13-23), who are coming off a huge upset on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder and have beaten the Raptors (22-15) twice in three tries this season.
By waiving Bamba on Tuesday morning, the Raptors put themselves in position to re-sign him on a 10-day contract on Thursday. That move would make him available for a string of upcoming games: at Boston on Friday, and home for two against Philadelphia Sunday and Monday, on the road against Indiana on Wednesday and back home on Friday, Jan. 16, against Los Angeles.
The benefit would be that it gives the Raptors added insurance at centre while Jakob Poeltl works through his back problem, even though his return is inching closer, given he’s been cleared for contact in his rehabilitation plan after missing seven straight games and nine of the past 10.
It also gives Bamba more runway to demonstrate he could be a potential longer-term answer to the Raptors' need for a decent backup for Poeltl.
