The Memphis Grizzlies flipped their fortune in recent close games with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks last night. The win in Dallas snapped a season-high four-game winning streak and kept them within two games of the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers for the two-seed.
While the Mavericks were missing four starters and at least six rotation players, the Grizzlies were without their most productive player this season as Jaren Jackson Jr. missed his second straight game. Jackson Jr. was seen at shootaround earlier on Friday taking shots and hasn't been seen wearing a boot since being ruled out as week-to-week with an ankle sprain.
The two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year recipient has already been ruled out for the Grizzlies' game at the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night. That means he has 18 games remaining to play six games to reach the 65-game threshold for award and All-NBA team eligibility.
Jackson Jr.'s performance this season had him on pace to make an All-NBA team and with a high probability to win a second Defensive Player of the Year award, making him eligible to sign a supermax contract this offseason. However, his not reaching the required games would lead to him failing to either win Defensive Player of the Year or make All-NBA, which could spell trouble for the team.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s current contract limits negotiations with supermax eligibility
Before Jackson Jr.'s injury, the Grizzlies fanbase had a week of discussions about whether he is worth the full 5-year, $345M supermax contract he would be eligible for if he reaches the above-mentioned thresholds. However, according to ESPN Senior NBA Write Tim Bontemps, not qualifying for the supermax would hurt the Grizzlies.
Jackson Jr.'s current contract, which runs through next season, has declined every year since it began during the 2022-23 season. His contract will only be worth $23.4M next season, which means the Grizzlies would have to renegotiate his salary before extending his contract.
The max he could be offered in an extension this offseason without the supermax option is four years, $146.8M. That is a huge difference from the supermax extension, even if he didn't secure the full $345M amount of that.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is important to what the Grizzlies do on offense and is special on the defensive end as evidenced by his former Defensive Player of the Year award. The team and Jackson Jr. will likely want him back quickly for both contractual and on-court reasons as the team attempts to contend for a title this season.