Grizzlies bet big on key piece after monster extension

The Grizzlies rewarded Jackson, the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year who finished second this season, with a five-year extension for $240M. Not only did Jackson get a big raise from his $23.4M salary for next season, he gets a player option in 2029 which allows him to hit the free agent market again at 29.

He's now making an average salary of $58M on this deal after averaging 22.2 points and shooting 37.4% from three-point range in 2024-25, while blocking 1.5 shots per game. 

Jackson was the cornerstone of a Memphis defense that ranked 10th in the NBA, while the offense was sixth, suggesting the team was better than their 48-34 record. Memphis finished in eighth place, but only four games back of the second-place Houston Rockets.

Is this deal a risk? Jackson has a history of injuries, though he's averaged 70 games the last four seasons. The knock on Jackson is that he's a near-seven-footer who doesn't rebound, averaging only 5.5 boards for his career. 

But some of that is due to the Grizzlies' style of play, where they like to use Jackson as a roaming defender and shot-blocker who often isn't under the basket. On offense, Jackson takes 32% of his attempts behind the three-point arc, pulling him away from the basket as well.

Besides, the Grizzlies were second in the NBA in rebounds last season. They were second in 2022-23 and were the NBA's best rebounding team in 2021-22, all with Jackson playing huge minutes. If the team is dominating on the glass, does it matter which individual player ends up with the rebound?

The downside is that the Grizzlies had to part ways with Desmond Bane to afford Jackson's pricey extension, and Bane was arguably the Grizzlies' second-best player. The Grizzlies have to hope No. 11 pick Cedric Coward can contribute right away, because Bane's offense and shooting will be hard to replace.

But not as hard as it would be to replace Jackson, whose combination of size, strength, shooting and shot-blocking are rare in the NBA. It's a big price to play for Jackson, but the Grizzlies have no doubt he's worth every penny.