Shortly officially finalizing their trade with the Thunder to acquire his draft rights, the Grizzlies have officially signed No. 21 overall pick Brandon Clarke to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Clarke, 22, was viewed as a potential lottery pick entering the draft after he posted 16.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and a .687 FG% in his junior year at Gonzaga. When Clarke slipped a little, Memphis took advantage of his slide by packaging the No. 23 pick with a future second-rounder to move up to No. 21 to nab him.
As our chart of rookie scale salaries shows, Clarke’s first NBA deal figures to be worth approximately $2.48MM in year one and $12.15MM if he plays out the full four seasons.
Teams haven’t wasted any time in locking up their first-round picks to rookie contracts — Clarke is already the 19th of 30 first-rounders to formally sign, joining teammate Ja Morant in that group.
Just saw Clarke vs Kabengele in summer league. They will be top rookies this year.