The Grizzlies and swingman Danny Green have reached an agreement to push his salary guarantee date back by more than six months, according to Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Green is under contract for $10MM in 2022/23. That figure had been non-guaranteed, but became partially guaranteed for $6,964,781 in order to meet salary-matching rules when he was traded from Philadelphia to Memphis in exchange for De’Anthony Melton.
The remainder of Green’s $10MM salary was scheduled to become guaranteed on July 1, this Friday. However, that deadline has been scrapped and Green will now receive his full guarantee only if he remains under contract through January 7, the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date.
The move will give the Grizzlies the flexibility to hang onto Green deeper into the offseason in case a trade opportunity arises.
Green is unlikely to play much, if at all, in 2022/23 after tearing his ACL in the playoffs this spring, so it’s unclear if Memphis would carry him on its 15-man roster in the fall if he’s still with the team by that point. Players often take a full calendar year to return from an ACL tear, but the 35-year-old wing has talked about wanting to return to the court by the All-Star break.
At the very least, the Grizzlies should have the opportunity to assess how Green’s recovery process is progressing and make a more informed decision on whether to hang onto him in October if he’s not included in another trade before then.