Sacramento Kings sing Keon Ellis, Neemias Queta to two-way contracts

The Sacramento Kings have signed former Alabama guard Keon Ellis and former Utah State center Neemias Queta to two-way contracts, the team announced Saturday.

Ellis spent the past two seasons with Alabama after a two-year stint in JUCO at Florida Southwestern State College. This past season with the Crimson Tide, he averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as the team earned a six seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Ellis went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, but the Kings apparently liked him enough to take a chance on him. He finished the 2021-22 season as a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team with 1.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

As for Queta, he averaged 3.3 blocks per game in addition to 10.1 rebounds. Sacramento finished this past season 30-52, missing the playoffs for the 16th consecutive year. The Kings will hope the additions of both Keon Ellis and Queta can provide them a pair of players that will contribute down the road.

When Ellis committed to the Crimson Tide, he was one of the top JUCO guards in the country. He went on to live up to that hype by averaging just 5.5 points and four rebounds per game during his first season in Tuscaloosa over just 17.5 minutes per game.

The Kings also selected former Iowa star Keegan Murray with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft. Murray provides plenty of offense as he finished this past season as the Hawkeyes’ all-time scoring leader with 822 points. How both Ellis and Queta fit in with the team will certainly be a storyline to follow entering the 2022-23 season.

Ellis will join fellow Alabama star JD Davis in the NBA. Davis was selected with the 53rd overall pick by the Boston Celtics and both players will hope to prove they belong in their rookie seasons.