Keon Ellis signs two-way deal with Sacramento Kings following 2022 NBA Draft

Alabama point guard Keon Ellis did not come off the board in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, shortly after the end of the draft, the Sacramento Kings signed the former Crimson Tide star to a two-way deal.

Each NBA team can have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League. Players on these deals cannot spend more than 45 days with their NBA team. Teams pay Two-Way players a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league.

Alabama's Keon Ellis has agreed to a two-way deal with the Sacramento Kings, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022

Keon Ellis was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2018. After spending the first two years of his college career at Florida SouthWestern State College, he transferred to Alabama prior to the 2020-21 season.

By the 2021-22 season, Ellis was an incredibly important player on Alabama’s roster. It was a disappointing season. With a chance to break through, they faltered. They lost to Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Then, they fell to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

His best offensive performance of the 2021-22 season came against Kentucky when he scored 28 points. The offensive side of the ball wasn’t where Keon Ellis made his name, though. He was on the SEC All-Defensive Team in 2022.

On his career, Keon Ellis averaged 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 45.8% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range.

Keon Ellis is going to be a developmental prospect. On top of that, he doesn’t have superstar upside. Rather, his future in the NBA is likely as a role player.

The Sacramento Kings had the No. 4 overall pick on Thursday night, selecting Iowa forward Keegan Murray. The Kings also had the No. 37 pick, which they traded to the Dallas Mavericks. They also moved their No. 49 pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the draft rights to Euroleague first-teamer Sasha Vezenkov.

Last season, Sacramento went 30-52, posting the seventh-worst record in the NBA.