Ja Morant Reacts to Big Jaren Jackson Jr. Contract News

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant reacts to Jaren Jackson Jr.'s big contract news

Oct 26, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) and guard Ja Morant (12) get back on defense during the first half against the Orlando Magic at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies had a busy start to the free agency period on Monday evening, signing Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Cam Spencer to extensions, and bringing over Ty Jerome in free agency.

The Jaren Jackson Jr. max extension was a hefty one: five-year, $240 million. It's not a bad deal in a vacuum, as getting a player of Jaren's caliber for under $50 million per year is a big win for Memphis. They'll have to clear Cole Anthony's salary off the books to help make it work, but keeping Jaren in Memphis long-term was a clear goal of the franchise, even after the Desmond Bane trade.

Apr 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) walks down the court in the third quarter of game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Ja Morant was very excited about his teammates getting extensions, posting a GIF on X/Twitter with the caption "tears of joy," while adding another caption "watching my dawgs get paid 🐻💰."

Aldama signed for three years, worth $52.5 million. He has developed into a quality role player, and some would argue he's worth a lot more than the contract he was given. But now Morant, Aldama, Jackson, Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr., and first-round draft pick Cedric Coward will all be under team control through 2028.

That's a great nucleus to build around for the next three years, and could be good enough to still contend.

watching my dawgs get paid 🐻💰 pic.twitter.com/TdzA5YHVuU

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 30, 2025

A lot of that will depend on health. Ja Morant can't miss as many games as he has recently, Brandon Clarke needs to stay healthy, and hopefully, no one brutally fouls Jaylen Wells again. Some people thought that after the Desmond Bane trade, the team would tear down and look to build back up, but they should definitely still be competitive in the years to come.

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