Memphis Grizzlies will sign Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Lofton Jr. to 2-way deal

Louisiana Tech basketball forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. will sign a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, his agent Mike George told ESPN after he wasn't selected Thursday in the NBA Draft.

Lofton, 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, was the No. 66 overall prospect in ESPN's draft rankings. He was a First Team All-Conference USA selection as a sophomore after winning the league's Freshman of the Year honors.

Lofton played primarily inside the 3-point line in college, attempting just 20 3-pointers, but made 55% from inside the arc.

Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway was impressed by Lofton as a freshman.

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"It's hard to believe that kid is a freshman," Hardaway said on ESPN in March 2021. "He is a matchup problem, and he can play. And I have a lot of respect for his game. So if they can beat a good Mississippi State team and get to the championship — we'll have our hands full either way. But he is a monster."

A two-way contract in the NBA allows teams to keep two such players in the fold that do not count toward the salary cap or the 15-player roster limit. Two-way players can play up to 50 NBA regular season games in a season and can have their contracts converted to an NBA deal. Two-way players often bounce between the G-League and the team's NBA roster throughout the year. Players will get paid commiserate to which team (G-League team or the NBA team) it plays games for on a game-by-game basis.