Zona message boards seems to think Trier coming back for his Junior year, but Simmons will be leaving. This would be a good thing. Also heard rumors that 2018 Wing/SF 5 Star Arizona verbal commit Emmanuel Akot might re-classify and join up in 2017. This, along with Trier returning would clutter up some that 2-3-4 position for next year at Zona.
Arizona Wildcats basketball team could look vastly different next year
By Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star Mar 26, 2017 Updated 6 hrs ago
1. Who’s leaving early?
While UA will lose only one senior, Kadeem Allen, the Wildcats are expected to lose at least two players to professional basketball this spring — likely Lauri Markkanen and Kobi Simmons, while Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins appear to be considering it.
Markkanen may have arrived at UA with a plan of staying for two years, but his status as a near-certain Top 10 pick means he has strong incentive to leave. Players taken in the Top 10 are guaranteed at least $4.5 million (plus endorsement deals) over two years under the NBA’s rookie salary scale, and a player in that category who gets hurt or fails to improve when returning to school may never see that kind of money again.
Simmons is a curious case because his playing time and production dropped off rapidly in the last month of the season, and Draft Express noted “he’s looked highly dejected and clearly not on the same page with the coaching staff.” But his size, athleticism and shooting ability still make him an intriguing prospect for an NBA team willing to stash him in the D-League and see what happens.
“NBA scouts like Simmons’ talent level but have major concerns about his intangibles, especially considering how much development he still needs in terms of his skill-level and basketball IQ,” Draft Express president Jonathan Givony wrote last week. “He’s likely to declare for the draft, and will benefit from the advent of the two-way contract (between NBA and D-League), which will allow him to make some decent money while the team that picks him evaluates if he can get his act together in the D-League.”