According to a report by ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday, the Toronto Raptors will sign Mohammed Bamba to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.

Sportsnet reporter Michael Granger and Raptors reporter Blake Murphy later added that the contract only lasts until the end of the 2025/26 season. If the Raptors do not waive Bamba by January 7th, the contract will become fully guaranteed on January 10th.

The 27-year-old Bamba was the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft. During his career, he played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans. As a 2.13-meter (6'3") and 105-kilogram (6.7") center, he has played 264 regular season games since entering the NBA, averaging 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 16.8 minutes per game, with a 47.7% field goal percentage and a 35.6% three-point percentage.

Bamba previously played for the San Diego Clippers and Birmingham City in the G League. He currently plays for the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz, where he has played 14 games and averaged 16.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game.

For the Raptors, Bamba's arrival is expected to alleviate the team's shortage of interior players to some extent. Their starting center is 30-year-old Jacob Poeltl, who has only played 21 games due to an ongoing back injury.

However, the Raptors' total salary will temporarily exceed the highest salary threshold by approximately $475,000 after this signing, and is also about $2.1 million higher than the league's luxury tax threshold. Given the Raptors' historically cautious approach to paying the luxury tax, it is widely believed that Bamba is highly likely to be waived before January 7th.