Memphis, Tenn. ? The Grizzlies signed first-round draft picks Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez on Friday, getting the deals done just four days before the start of training camp.
The signings were completed just in time for camp, which starts Tuesday. The rookie-contract talks took longer than usual because the team had tried the unconventional strategy of including performance bonuses in their deals to avoid guaranteeing the maximum salary allowable.
Henry was the 12th overall pick in the June draft, and Vasquez was taken 28th. Both signed multiyear deals. Additional terms were not disclosed.
Teams can pay players up to 120 percent of their scale amount, which this season is about $1.7 million for the No. 12 pick. The Grizzlies had wanted to tie the 20 percent to bonuses, but eventually relented.
“It’s great to have both Xavier and Greivis signed and in the fold now,” GM Chris Wallace said in a team statement announcing the signings. “They’re both very bright young men from tremendous college programs. We think they can definitely help our team.”
Henry is an athletic 6-foot-6 shooting guard who played college ball at Kansas. He’s expected to help the team improve its perimeter shooting, which was a problem last season.
Henry said he tried to stay positive during the contract negotiations.
“I wasn’t really thinking about it too much,” Henry said in a statement released by a team spokesman. “It was really between my agent and (Grizzlies owner) Michael Heisley. I was just worried about working out, and he would give me little updates on how the contract was going.
“I was always just enthusiastic about it. I was just waiting for it to get done because I figured it could get done at any time.”