FEBRUARY 9: The Grizzlies officially announced their new deal with Jackson, confirming in a press release that Metu has been waived to make room on the 15-man roster for Jackson’s promotion (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 8: The Grizzlies and rookie GG Jackson have agreed to a four-year deal that will include three guaranteed seasons, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The agreement will promote Jackson, who had been on a two-way contract, to Memphis’ standard 15-man roster.
The 45th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Jackson is the youngest player in the NBA this season and wasn’t part of the Grizzlies’ rotation to open the 2023/24 campaign. However, with the team plagued by injuries and no longer in serious contention for a playoff spot, Jackson has been given an opportunity in recent weeks and has run with it.
The former South Carolina standout had averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 23.4 minutes per game with a shooting line of .445/.385/.692 in his previous 13 games entering play on Thursday. He had the best game of his young career against the Bulls on Thursday night, racking up 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench.
After making a pair of trades at the deadline with Boston and Phoenix, the Grizzlies have a full 15-man roster, but they reportedly intend to waive newly acquired big man Chimezie Metu, which would open a spot for Jackson to slide into. Once his promotion is official, Memphis will have an open two-way contract slot.
The Grizzlies figure to use a portion of their mid-level exception to sign Jackson to his new deal.
Bad decision for GG, market is talent hungry, so my guess is that he would made much more as fa this off-season.
He has 0 leverage. It’s either tie the 4 year deal or potentially stay a 2-way next season.
Mem doesn’t have money to match some other team offer, Bulls, Pistons, Spurs could offer more enough to get him out of Mem.
He’s on a 2 way. They could extend the Q/O next offseason and he would have to go back. Lu dort had to go through there same thing.
They threw him a bone with 3 guaranteed years. The 4-year contract thing for a player like him is usually 2 guaranteed years.
GG is use to bad decisions. He reclassified in high school to get to the NBA a year early. Freshman year at South Carolina was a horror show. Went from potential #1 pick to 2nd round on a 2-way contract. He was not ready as a player, nor mature enough as a person. He got humbled freshman year of college. If you notice, since he left South Carolina, the program is absolutely thriving and ranked in the top 15 which hasn’t happened in forever.
Grizzlies took a gamble and continue to get rewarded. It Jackson does turn out to be more than just a stat stuffer on an injury-riddled team, they will have a very, very affordable piece for several years. Jackson will have to wait a few years, and continue to prove his ability to cash in big.
Had he not reclassified in high school. He would be a college freshman right now. His N.I.L. money would have far outpaced his 2-way contract, and he would be on track for the payday, and guaranteed years of a top 5 pick that some team thinks is a future foundation of the franchise.
He was going to be an rfa…
Grizz won’t appreciate him, just as they didn’t appreciate Lofton.