76ers offer NBA's 1st Iranian-born draftee, Arsalan Kazemi, a 1-year tender

The first Iranian-born draft pick in NBA history is one step closer to realizing his NBA dream.

Arsalan Kazemi posted a photo of a contract the Philadelphia 76ers offered to him earlier this week, with the text revealing that the Sixers have offered him the Required Tender.

In order to maintain the draft rights of any second-round pick, teams are required to offer a one-year, non-guaranteed contract at the league minimum. In most cases, players opt not to sign the deal, as there's no guaranteed salary. But there are instances of players signing the tender in order to try to play their way onto a roster or, failing that, make themselves unrestricted free agents, as cutting a player on his tender costs a team his rights.

It's not immediately clear if Kazemi will sign the offer, though his post came with the hashtags "#onestepcloser" and "#worktwiceashard." Kazemi said at summer league in July that he was hoping to make the 76ers, who have 13 players under guaranteed contract and seven more on non-guaranteed deals.

If Kazemi signs his tender, the 76ers would have to waive someone, as the offseason roster limit is 20 players.

In 2013, the 76ers made Kazemi the first-ever Iranian-born draft pick in the NBA, having acquired the No. 54 pick from the Washington Wizards earlier in the draft. Hamed Haddadi is the league's first Iranian-born player, but Kazemi is the first Iran product to be selected in the draft, having been plucked from Oregon by way of Rice.

Not blessed with great size for a power forward - 6-foot-7, but with a 7-foot wingspan - or elite athleticism, he plays a headier, more ground-bound, hustle-oriented game that coaches tend to love. His offensive game may not appear NBA-caliber, but he's posted excellent rebounding and steal rates, which can be predictive of future NBA success.

The 25-year-old spent last season in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 15 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 steals while shooting 66.1 percent from the floor. In five summer-league games this year, he averaged 3.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals, shooting 42.9 percent.