Ja Morant had shown flashes of his superstar potential in his first two seasons in the NBA, and the Grizzlies guard finally put it all together this season. Morant had a phenomenal season as he upped his scoring average to 27.4 points per game, and he led Memphis to the second-best record in the NBA in the regular season.
Morant was rewarded for his terrific play with a spot on the All-NBA Second Team, and he was also crowned as the Most Improved Player. More good news is seemingly on the way as well, as he is in line to get paid big time in the summer.
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are likely to agree on an $186M max extension in the off-season.
Morant can boost his total deal to $223M if he were to make All-NBA again or win MVP. pic.twitter.com/FTANkxhATF
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 12, 2022
“Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are likely to agree on a $186M max extension in the off-season. Morant can boost his total deal to $223M if he were to make All-NBA again or win MVP.”
Thanks to his All-NBA selection, Morant can sign a designated player extension, which would mean he can earn an additional $37 million over that $186 million, provided he makes another All-NBA team next season or if he wins the MVP. The Grizzlies will happily give him all the money he wants if he can have another season like he just did or if he goes one better and wins the MVP award.
Morant was a contender for MVP this season, too, as the Grizzlies played well above anyone’s expectations of them. The team also made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015 before bowing out to the Golden State Warriors. Morant missed the last 3 games of that series, and he felt that the Grizzlies would have won the championship provided they had been healthy.
They will have a lot more opportunities to contend for a title in the years to come, thanks to Ja, with the only concern being if he can stay healthy. His style of play is very taxing on the body, and Morant needs to keep working on his shooting to ensure that he can keep playing at a high level for a long time. The sky is the limit for the Grizzlies as long as he is around.
