If the Memphis Grizzlies want to extend Jaren Jackson Jr. up to his max contract extension number, they will need to make some extra room on the books, which likely means they need to dump John Konchar’s salary. Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon were discussing the potential extension on the Game Theory podcast, noting that, in order to get Jackson to his max extension starting spot of $51.03 million in 2026-27, they would need to re-negotiate his current salary to $36.45 million.
Right now, Jackson is slated to make $23.4 million next season, which is an absolute bargain for the production he’s been giving the Grizzlies for the past few seasons.
He deserves to be fully rewarded for his efforts, but that means Memphis will have to clear up some money off their books. “The way to do this and make this possible is actually a little bit simpler than what people think,” Vecenie said. “You just have to find a taker for John Konchar and his salary.”
How good has Jaren Jackson Jr. been?
As the Grizzlies have dealt with Ja Morant being in and out of the lineup, whether it be due to a suspension or an injury, Jackson has been their best player. And it hasn’t been particularly close.
In the past four years, Jackson has made three All-Defensive teams, two All-Star teams, won the Defensive Player of the Year award, and led the league in blocks twice (an honor that is likely no longer in the cards now that Victor Wembanyama is in the league).
He’s been a 22-points-per-game scorer in each of the last two seasons, and this past year was his most efficient season yet on a heavy workload as one of the team’s top offensive options. Jackson has mastered the in-between game, sinking floaters left and right to go along with his solid three-point shot.
At this point, not only does Jackson deserve to be rewarded for his efforts, but he may not take an extension lower than the max the Grizzlies can possibly give him after a re-negotiation. If they don’t re-negotiate, he may wait to hit unrestricted free agency and field offers from there. Memphis can’t let that happen.
Where can the Grizzlies trade John Konchar?
In order to ship out Konchar, the Grizzlies just have to find a team with enough cap space to take him in without sending anything out. That could also mean a team that has a big enough trade exception to fit his $6.165 million contract.
Some teams that instantly come to mind include the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons, though the former of those two squads may be a bit more interested in taking on dead money in exchange for draft capital, as the Nets likely won’t be in the playoff picture next season.