Arizona basketball: Kobi Simmons officially signs with the Memphis Grizzlies

The contract details are unknown at this point

Shortly after being unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft, it was reported that Kobi Simmons had reached an agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies.

That deal became official on Saturday, the first day of free agency.

“Feels great to be a Memphis Grizzly,” the former Arizona Wildcats guard tweeted.

Here’s the press release in its entirety:

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced that the team has signed guard Kobi Simmons. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Simmons (6-4, 170) appeared in 37 games (19 starts) and averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.5 minutes last season as a freshman at the University of Arizona before going unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old was named a 2015-16 McDonald’s All-American and the 2016 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year as a senior at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga.

Simmons, a one-and-done, is seen as a candidate for a “two-way” contract, but it’s unclear what the contract details are at this point.

A two-way player is one who splits time between the G-League and NBA, but takes up the 16th or 17th roster spot on an NBA roster.

Two-way players make a base salary of $75,000 plus the prorated amount of an NBA minimum contract when on the active NBA roster.

The catch is two-way players can only be on an active NBA roster for 45 days at most, limiting their earning potential to $279,000.

Still, it would give Simmons a chance to develop in the G-League, earn a decent salary, and potentially get his feet wet in NBA action every so often.

Again, though, it’s uncertain if Simmons received that type of deal.

DraftExpress.com deemed Simmons, a 6-foot-4 guard, to be a sleeper prospect because of his electric athleticism and “microwave” scoring ability, but his inability to play point guard and lack of defensive prowess make him a work in progress.

Fortunately for him, it appears he’ll have an opportunity to hone his skills with the Grizzlies and/or the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ new G-League affiliate.

In the meantime, the 19-year-old will suit up for Memphis in Las Vegas Summer League next week. The Grizzlies begin NBA Summer League play on Saturday, July 8 against the Washington Wizards.

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Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire

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