Grizzlies point guard Mario Chalmers is among the players who received an increased salary guarantee this week when he remained under contract, according to data from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders and ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Chalmers, who received a modest $25K guarantee when he signed with the Grizzlies in the offseason, now has a fully guaranteed minimum salary for 2017/18.
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Salary Guarantee Dates]
Chalmers, who tore his Achilles in March 2016, wasn’t able to make a full recovery during the 2016/17 season, but looked good in camp and the preseason with Memphis this fall. His strong showing earned him a roster spot over fellow point guard – and 2016 first-rounder – Wade Baldwin, who was waived by the Grizzlies. Chalmers will earn a minimum salary worth about $2.106MM this season, though it’ll only count for approximately $1.471MM on Memphis’ cap.
Other players receiving increased guarantees this week include Khem Birch of the Magic and Pistons big man Eric Moreland. According to Pincus’ and Marks’ data, Birch will see his salary guarantee jump from $25K to $408K, while Moreland’s will increase from $750K to $1MM. Both players will receive fully guaranteed 2017/18 salaries on January 10, if they remain under contract.
Birch, who has spent the first few years of his professional career with teams in the G League or overseas, was excited to make an NBA roster for the first time this season, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel detailed over the weekend. The Canadian big man didn’t see any action during the Magic’s first game of the season on Wednesday night.
As for Moreland, the 25-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the Pistons’ rotation on Wednesday night, playing 12 minutes as a backup center. While he didn’t score at all, Moreland picked up three steals during his time on the court.