3 things you may not know about new Cavs’ signing, Kobi Simmons

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard Kobi Simmons to a 10-day contract on Sunday. Simmons is the latest to receive such a deal from the Wine and Gold, replacing Cameron Payne, who was recently let go from the roster.

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly made a move before their 104-101 win against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, adding another member to their already-young roster. Enter Kobi Simmons, the 21-year-old guard out of Arizona, who general manager Koby Altman announced joined the Cavaliers on a 10-day contract (h/t the Cleveland Cavaliers).

Simmons is a second-year pro, spending some time with the Memphis Grizzlies last season as his first taste of NBA action. He’ll take the roster spot opened up by the Cavaliers electing to not sign Cameron Payne to a contract for the rest of the season (as we touched on and h/t The Athletic’s Joe Vardon).

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But who is Kobi Simmons? I’m glad you asked. Let’s talk about Simmons, the newest member of the Cavaliers franchise.

He was with the Cavaliers during the 2018-19 preseason

Simmons spent some time with the Cavaliers during the 2018-19 preseason, playing alongside Collin Sexton during the rookie’s first steps as a professional for the Wine and Gold. He’s been with the Canton Charge up until this point of the season, not too far away from the organization.

The preseason is usually that chance for players that may not be guaranteed a spot with the organization to earn a place on the roster. However, Cleveland was one of the rare situations where a lot of the roster list was fighting for a chance to make the squad’s Opening Night roster.

Therefore, Simmons rarely got the fair shake he was hoping for. He played in four games but saw just 10.9 minutes nightly. As a result, four points and one assist was what he mustered up on the court. Whether it was enough of an opportunity or not, Simmons didn’t make the cut at that time.

He went undrafted out of Arizona University in 2017

Kobi Simmons was pretty well-known out of high school. In a recruiting class that featured Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and Miles Bridges, Simmons had been ranked the 24th-best prospect coming into the collegiate ranks. He joined the Arizona University Wildcats to pursue the next step of his basketball career.

After just one season with the Wildcats, Simmons declared for the NBA Draft. With only 8.7 points, two assists, and 1.7 rebounds as his main statistics, it was a true gamble on the then-freshman’s part.

It didn’t pay off in Simmons’ favor.

He went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft and was forced to find his way to the league with the tough road. On July 1st, Simmons found his way to a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. That was his first true opportunity to get into the professional ranks, which we’ll talk about some more.

He caught his first big break in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies

Everybody needs that first opportunity to show what they’ve got, no matter what you’re doing in life. For Kobi Simmons, his chance came with the Memphis Grizzlies shortly after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Splitting time with Memphis’ G-League affiliate and the actual NBA roster, Simmons received 32 games with the Grizzlies and even started twelve games for the Western Conference squad.

Simmons posted tallies of 6.1 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 rebounds during his showing last season with Memphis. His game-high in points was 20 points while his best in assists was seven.

Was it anything to marvel at? No. But it was something to get him started. Now, Cleveland extends the offer for him to further his career and possibly find a home.