The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA, and they are determined to keep it for years to come. The team announced on Wednesday that they have exercised contract options on reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant as well as Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, and Grayson Allen.
All four players are now under contract with the Grizzlies throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.
Although Memphis didn’t need to make the decision on their contracts right away, the team made the move to signal their commitment to Morant, Jackson Jr., Clarke, and Allen as the future of the franchise.
This young group, alongside several veterans, was one of the most positive surprises in the 2019-20 NBA season. Despite being projected to finish the season with one of the records in the league, the Grizzlies ended up boosting a respectable 34-39 record.
Memphis also held the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference for the better part of the year but fell short of the playoffs after losing the play-in elimination game to Portland Trail Blazers.
Ja Morant, the Grizzlies No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was the main reason for the Grizzlies’ success as he led the team with 17.8 points per game while adding 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists on average. Jaren Jackson Jr. followed with 17.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Brandon Clarke and Grayson Allen also had important roles, coming from the bench and contributing with 12.1 and 8.7 points per game, respectively.
