The Memphis Grizzlies and young big man Jaren Jackson Jr. are making sure they keep their partnership going after the two sides agreed to a contract extension, the team announced on Monday.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the extension is worth $105 million over four years.
Injuries have hampered Jackson during his time with the Grizzlies, but he has nonetheless been a steady performer since being taken No. 4 overall by Memphis in the 2018 Draft. He averaged 14.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per game in 2020-21, appearing in just 11 games. However, he played in all five of Memphis’ first-round games against the Utah Jazz, posting 13.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 apg and 1.2 bpg in the five-game series.
The Grizzlies had until 6 p.m. today to sign Jackson to an extension or risk him becoming a restricted free agent in 2022. Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic signed extensions with their teams earlier this offseason, as did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City), Wendell Carter Jr. (Orlando Magic), Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets) and Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns).
Jackson played in 58 games as a rookie, marking the most games he played in any NBA season. He averaged 13.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 apg and 1.4 bpg and improved to 17.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.6 bpg in 2019-20 as part of a two-man game with fellow phenom Ja Morant.
Memphis has hopes of building on last season’s Play-In Tournament win and first-round playoff series. The Grizzlies were busy in the offseason, acquiring veteran center Steven Adams and young swingman Jarrett Culver to help bolster a core that includes Morant, Jackson, Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane and others.
