Jaren Jackson Jr. Could Lose Nearly $200 Million Because Of One Bad Game

Jaren Jackson Jr. may have just lost a massive financial opportunity, and it all came down to one bad game. The Memphis Grizzlies' star big man had been the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), which would have made him eligible for a historic $345 million supermax extension. 

However, a poor performance against Evan Mobley has potentially cost him not just the award, but nearly $200 million in contract earnings.

Going into Sunday’s matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jackson was leading the DPOY race. With Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the rest of the season due to a blood clot diagnosis, the race had essentially boiled down to Jackson and Mobley. 

This head-to-head battle was a prime opportunity for Jackson to solidify his case, but instead, he had one of his worst performances of the season.

Jackson struggled significantly when matched up against Mobley. He shot just 1-of-6 from the field when defended by the Cavaliers' forward. On the other hand, Mobley dominated the matchup, shooting 2-of-4 when guarded by Jackson.

Jackson ended with 22 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block, shooting 9-18 from the field and 1-5 from 3-point range. 

Mobley came through for the Cavaliers with 25 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks shooting 10-20 from the field, with the Cavs coming out victorious 129-123.

The next day, the odds shifted dramatically. Mobley surpassed Jackson in the race for DPOY, marking a significant turning point in the season. 

If Mobley continues to perform at this level while leading the Cavaliers toward a top seed in the Eastern Conference, it could all but end Jackson’s hopes of securing a second DPOY award.

For the Grizzlies, this might actually be a blessing in disguise. If Jackson were to win DPOY, he would qualify for the supermax extension, allowing him to negotiate a contract worth up to $345 million over five years. 

Without the award, his maximum extension drops significantly to around $147 million over four years. That’s a potential loss of nearly $200 million for Jackson, but a massive financial saving for Memphis.

Jackson still has another financial path available this offseason. He has a renegotiation clause in his contract, which allows the Grizzlies to increase his $23.3 million salary for next season to $36.5 million. 

Memphis also has the option to extend him on a four-year, $229 million max contract. While that is still a substantial deal, it is significantly less than the potential supermax he could have received with another DPOY win.

Jackson is still having an excellent season, averaging 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range. 

But his path to securing the supermax is now more difficult. The DPOY award was his best shot, as making an All-NBA team will be incredibly challenging. 

The forward position is stacked with talent, including Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Williams—all of whom have a better case for making an All-NBA team than Jackson.

For Jackson, this one game could prove to be the defining moment of his financial future. If Mobley ultimately wins DPOY, the Grizzlies will have saved themselves a significant amount of money while Jackson will have to settle for a much smaller extension. 

It’s a stark reminder of just how much is at stake in the NBA, where a single bad game can cost a player hundreds of millions of dollars.