Colin Castleton

Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To Two-Year Deal

April 13: Castleton’s contract with Toronto is now official, the team confirmed in a press release.


April 11: Second-year center Colin Castleton will be leaving the Sixers and returning to the Raptors on the final weekend of the regular season, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Castleton, who was on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies earlier this season, was waived by Memphis in January, then inked a pair of 10-day deals with Toronto in March before joining the 76ers on a 10-day pact last Thursday.

In 24 total outings for those three teams in 2024/25, Castleton has averaged 4.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.8 minutes per game. He played his best basketball this season with the Raptors, putting up 6.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 10 games (four starts) over the course of his 20 days with Toronto.

Because a player can’t sign more than two 10-day contracts with a team in a season, the big man was only able to return to the Raptors if he and the team agreed to a standard contract.

They’ve done just that, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who tweets that Castleton and two-way player A.J. Lawson are getting essentially the same deal — a two-year contract that isn’t guaranteed beyond this season. That will allow the Raptors to take a longer look at the duo this offseason, including in Summer League.

Toronto waived Orlando Robinson and Cole Swider on Thursday, opening up a pair of spots on the 15-man roster. At the time, reports indicated that Robinson, Swider, Lawson, and Castleton were among the candidates to fill those openings on new multiyear deals. It appears Lawson and Castleton will be the ones filling out the roster, with Robinson and Swider the odd men out.

Castleton’s 10-day contract with Philadelphia technically runs through Saturday, but with the Sixers not in action again until Sunday, it’s possible they’ll terminate his deal a day early in order to free him up to sign with Toronto.

Raptors Waive Orlando Robinson, Cole Swider

The Raptors have completed a pair of roster moves, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived center Orlando Robinson and forward Cole Swider.

Robinson, who began the season with the Kings, was waived by Sacramento in January and has since been on a series of deals with Toronto, including a pair of 10-day contracts, a two-way pact, and a standard rest-of-season contract.

In 35 appearances (eight starts) for the Raptors, the big man averaged 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 20.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .447/.340/.794.

Swider joined the Raptors more recently after spending time with Detroit on a two-way deal earlier in the season. He signed a 10-day contract with Toronto in March, then a rest-of-season contract last Saturday.

The former Syracuse standout averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per night across eight outings for the Raptors, making 35.7% of his three-point attempts.

Neither Robinson nor Swider was under team control beyond this season, so the expectation is that the Raptors will use their two newly opened roster spots to sign players to multiyear deals, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Those deals will likely feature little to no guaranteed money beyond this season, but will give Toronto a chance to take a longer look at the players in the summer.

Robinson and Swider are among the candidates to return on new contracts if and when they clear waivers. According to Murphy, it’s also possible the Raptors will promote A.J. Lawson from his two-way deal and/or bring back Colin Castleton, whose 10-day contract with the Sixers expires on Saturday.

Sixers Notes: Castleton, Butler, Grimes, Bona

The Sixers‘ late-season collapse has been ugly, but it’s providing opportunities for several players who might not otherwise get them, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia dropped its 11th straight game Saturday night and has lost 28 of the past 31. Most of that losing has come with a makeshift roster, as Pompey notes that the team has played without an average of eight rotation players for more than a month.

Among those seeing playing time are Lonnie Walker, who started the season in Lithuania, Jalen Hood-Schifino, who had only appeared in two games this season before signing a two-way deal last month, and Colin Castleton, who inked a 10-day contract on Thursday after two 10-day deals with Toronto.

“I’m (focused on) continuing off my previous stop, just continuing to do what I do well,” Castleton said. “Even though this is the last 10 days, I’m just doing what I can to maximize the minutes that I am getting and just the opportunity. … So I’m just taking advantage of it and whatever comes with it.”

Also benefiting from the situation is Jared Butler, who was promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract after being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. After bouncing around the league since 2021, Butler is averaging a career-high 23.8 minutes per night in 24 games with the Sixers.

“It’s been four years, and it’s my first time getting straight-up games where I know I’m going to play,” he said. “Like, the fourth year? Somebody telling you just wait four years until you’re going to be able to play, get a real opportunity. It’s a blessing. I’m just glad I’m healthy and I’m able to play. So I think it’s good for my career.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • Quentin Grimes has become a star in the Sixers’ depleted lineup since being acquired from the Mavericks at the deadline, but he’s had to adjust to constant losing for the first time in his career, Pompey adds. Grimes leans on some advice he got from former Dallas teammate Klay Thompson, who said NBA players have the best jobs in the world. “That kind of really stuck with me to put in perspective that I do play basketball,” Grimes said. “People would love to do this every day. I get to come in and work every single day. So I love to do what I do, even though we’re losing now.”
  • Adem Bona enjoyed the best game of his career on Thursday, scoring 28 points against Milwaukee, Pompey states in a separate story. The rookie center has been one of the team’s few bright spots and is showing he might have a role beyond this season. “Playing consistent minutes every game, it helps boost your confidence,” Bona said. “It also helps knowing you’re going to be out there tonight — every night. So I think it has helped me, it’s gone a long way. Also, it’s kind of a launchpad into next year, getting ready to play with all the great players we have on our team. I think this is just helping me and building my experience.”
  • Although the Sixers came into training camp hoping to contend for a title around Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, there were plenty of warning signs that their Big Three couldn’t hold up for an entire season, Pompey explains in another piece.

Sixers Sign Colin Castleton To 10-Day Deal

April 3: Castleton’s 10-day deal is official, according to a team press release. As expected, he has taken Bagley’s spot on the roster.


April 2: The Sixers intend to sign big man Colin Castleton to a 10-day contract, league sources tell NBA insider Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

Castleton, who went undrafted out of Florida in 2023, spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for the first half of this season before being waived in January.

The 6’10” center didn’t play much for either of those teams, but saw rotation minutes with the Raptors on a pair of 10-day deals last month, averaging 6.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes per game across 10 outings (four starts).

Outside of his time with Memphis and Toronto, Castleton has spent much of this season in the G League playing for the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. He has averaged 17.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 17 regular season contests for Osceola.

The Sixers have a full 15-man roster but have been granted a series of hardship exceptions due to the various injuries afflicting their players down the stretch of this season.

A team qualifies for a hardship exception – which allows the club to exceed the usual 15-man limit – when it has at least four players who have missed three straight games and who are expected to be out for at least two more weeks. If a team has a fifth player meeting that criteria, it can receive a second hardship exception, which has been the case in Philadelphia recently — both Marcus Bagley and Phillip Wheeler are currently on hardship 10-day deals.

Bagley’s contract will expire overnight on Wednesday, so it seems likely that Castleton will take his spot on the roster, though we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from the team to be sure. Castleston will earn $107,027 over the course of his 10 days with the 76ers.

Raptors Sign Cole Swider To 10-Day Contract

The Raptors have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster by signing forward Cole Swider to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Swider, who was in camp with the Pacers last fall, signed a two-way contract with the Pistons at the start of the regular season and was waived in January. He has spent most of the season in the G League, first with the Motor City Cruise and more recently with the South Bay Lakers, who traded for his rights last month.

In 31 total outings for those two NBAGL clubs, Swider has averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .482/.442/.952.

An undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2022, Swider has played in the NBA for at least some of each of his first three professional seasons, appearing in seven games with the Lakers as a rookie, 18 with the Heat last year, and two with the Pistons this season.

Swider will be taking the roster spot that was previously occupied by center Colin Castleton. Castleton’s second 10-day contract with Toronto expired overnight and the team would’ve had to sign him to a rest-of-season deal in order to keep him on the roster. Castleton appeared in 10 games as a Raptor, averaging 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per contest.

Swider will earn $119,972 on his 10-day deal, with the Raptors carrying an identical cap hit. The contract will run through Friday, April 4, covering the club’s next six games.

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Okogie, Raptors, Cavs, Wizards

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers met after Tuesday’s loss to Golden State with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reports (via Twitter) that the session served as an “open forum” for the Bucks stars to share ideas for how to get the team out of its recent slump.

As Haynes notes, the Bucks have lost five of their last seven games and have struggled on offense during that time, including scoring a season-low 93 points vs. Golden State in Tuesday’s defeat. Haynes describes Tuesday’s post-game meeting as “productive.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Veteran wing Josh Okogie got off to a good start in Charlotte after being traded to the Hornets in January, registering a +16.3 net rating in his first 149 minutes with the team. He has missed the past 23 games due to a left hamstring strain, but appears to be nearing a return. He was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm before being recalled to the NBA team, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
  • The Raptors have won six of their past nine games and have been buoyed during that stretch by strong performances from players on two-way or 10-day contracts, including Jared Rhoden, A.J. Lawson, and Colin Castleton. What useful information might Toronto glean from this late-season hot streak? Michael Grange of Sportsnet considers that question, exploring how the team can separate the signal from the noise.
  • After losing a second consecutive game in a row on Tuesday, the Cavaliers are now tied with Oklahoma City for the NBA’s best record at 56-12 and won’t have a shot at 70 wins unless they don’t lose again this season. Neither earning the league’s top seed or winning 70 regular season games is a top priority for the Cavs heading into the playoffs though, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. The team’s two primary objectives? “To be healthy and playing great basketball,” according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.
  • The Wizards are the latest team to cut back on minutes for their veterans, presumably in an effort to tank, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Jordan Poole and Khris Middleton each played just 10:31 in Monday’s loss to Portland and didn’t appear at all in the second half, even though it wasn’t part of a back-to-back set.

Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To Second 10-Day Deal

12:16 pm: Castleton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Raptors, the team confirmed in a press release.


11:03 am: The Raptors are bringing back Colin Castleton on a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expired overnight, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A 6’11” big man, Castleton has made five appearances thus far for Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 block in 27.8 minutes per contest.

Castleton spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of 2024/25. He was waived by Memphis in January.

Although Castleton didn’t have much of an NBA role for the Lakers or Grizzlies, he has been a productive player at the G League level since he went undrafted out of Florida in 2023. In addition to his time with L.A. and Memphis, the 24-year-old has also played for the Magic’s NBAGL affiliate in Osceola.

Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.

Assuming the signing is completed prior to Sunday’s game at Portland, Castleton will be eligible to play five more games for the Raptors during his second 10-day contract, which will expire overnight on March 25. At that point, the Raptors will have to decide if they want to retain him for the rest of the season.

Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To 10-Day Contract

March 6: The signing is official, according to the NBA transactions log.


March 5: The Raptors intend to sign center Colin Castleton to a 10-day contract, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Castleton, who went undrafted out of Florida in 2023, spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of this season. The 6’10” big man appeared in 26 combined games for the two NBA clubs, compiling 38 points and 21 rebounds in 105 total minutes.

Although Castleton’s playing time at the NBA level has been limited, he has performed well for the Lakers’, Grizzlies’, and Magic’s G League affiliates since going pro.

The 24-year-old, who has been playing for the Osceola Magic since being waived by the Grizzlies in January, has made 26 total G League appearances this season, averaging 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game for Osceola and the Memphis Hustle.

Even after promoting center Orlando Robinson to a standard contract on Tuesday, Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.

The Raptors don’t play again until Friday, so it’s unclear when exactly Castleton will sign his contract. The 10-day deal will run through at least Toronto’s next five games and could cover as many as six if it’s not officially completed until Friday.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Castleton, Caporn

Heat guard Tyler Herro was named an All-Star for the first time in his career on Thursday night. He beat out the likes of Atlanta’s Trae Young, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey for a spot as one of the East’s guards, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

I’m truly proud of Tyler because there’s been a lot of media that have thrown that man’s name in the mud,” teammate Bam Adebayo said. “Y’all have thrown his name in trade rumors, y’all have said he’s not good enough, he can’t do this and he can’t do that, all the way down to somebody’s wingspan. So just looking at it from that standpoint and understanding how great Tyler can be, it’s a testament to him and how he’s really worked on his body, how he’s really prepared himself for moments like this.

Herro has been one of the most durable Heat players this season and he’s averaging career highs in points (24.1), rebounds (5.6), and assists (5.4) per game, as well as field goal percentage (47.4%), three-point percentage (40.0%) and three-point attempts per game (9.7). Herro will also be taking part in the NBA’s three-point contest on All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15.

“I feel like throughout the years, people thought it would come faster, sooner than this,” Herro said. “But I think the time that we put in every year, every summer, it finally paid off and it was a lot of different trials and tribulations, back and forths with [head coach Erik Spoelstra], what I need to work on every single year. But I always just came in and tried to get better every single day.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • While the trade deadline and Jimmy Butler saga are dominating headlines in the short term, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes the Heat have a decision to make later this year on Herro, who will become eligible for an extension as of Oct. 1. While that’s still a way out, it will be interesting to see if that extension is put on the table immediately and whether Miami will be willing to offer the full three-year, $150MM deal Herro will be eligible for.
  • Former Grizzlies two-way center Colin Castleton landed with the Magic‘s G League affiliate in Osceola, The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede observes (subscriber link). Castleton appeared in 10 games with the Grizzlies this year, averaging 1.4 points per game in very limited playing time. The Florida product is hoping to get back into the NBA through his time with Osceola. In 17 G League games, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per night.
  • Basketball Australia’s general manager Jason Smith has flown to the United States to meet with both Hawks coach Quin Snyder and Wizards assistant Adam Caporn, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports. Both are major candidates in Australia’s search for a new head coach. We wrote about the Boomers’ interest in Snyder last week. Caporn was born in Australia, playing professionally with Wollongong and Perth. After retiring from his playing days, he has spent time as an assistant with Saint Mary’s, the Nets (and as head coach of their G League affiliate), and now the Wizards. He has also served as assistant for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

Grizzlies Sign Zyon Pullin, Waive Colin Castleton

1:50pm: The moves are now official, the Grizzlies confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).


1:25pm: The Grizzlies are signing free agent guard Zyon Pullin to a two-way deal covering two seasons, reports Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian (Twitter links).

According to Hill, Memphis will waive center Colin Castleton in order to add Pullin to the roster.

A 6’4″ guard out of Florida, Pullin played for UC Riverside from 2019-23 before transferring to the Gators for his super-senior year. He was an All-SEC honoree in 2023/24 after averaging 15.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest in 33 games (27 starts), with a shooting line of .444/.449/.847.

Pullin quickly agreed to terms with the Heat after going undrafted in June, officially signing a two-way contract with the team on the first day of the new league year on July 1. However, he didn’t see much playing time for Miami’s Summer League squad and was waived on July 25 when the club needed to open up a roster spot to sign Summer League standout Josh Christopher to a two-way deal.

Pullin re-signed with the Heat on an Exhibit 10 deal in August, then was released shortly before the ’24/25 season began. He has spent his first pro season playing for Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

The 23-year-old had a relatively modest role with the Skyforce during the Tip-Off Tournament this past fall, averaging 9.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 0.8 SPG on .476/.318/.765 shooting in 17 games (22.4 MPG). However, he has received more playing time (38.3 MPG) in his first six regular season games with Sioux Falls, and he has excelled in those outings, averaging 24.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, and 1.2 SPG on .535/.424/.731 shooting.

Castleton, who spent ’23/24 with the Lakers on a two-way deal, hasn’t played much for the Grizzlies during his second season, logging just 46 NBA minutes in 10 games. The 24-year-old big man put up 17.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.3 BPG in 10 outings with the Memphis Hustle (31.8 MPG), though he struggled with turnovers (3.8 per game) and scoring efficiency (.438/.261/.756 shooting line).

Castleton recently had his full-season salary guaranteed by the Grizzlies, but two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, so Memphis won’t face any tangible financial ramifications for making the roster swap.