USATSI
The Memphis Grizzlies continue to lock up their players with contract extensions. The team has already agreed to extensions with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, John Konchar and Steven Adams, and now it’s Brandon Clarke’s turn. Clarke, 26, agreed to a four-year, $52 million extension with the Grizzlies on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The agreement came ahead of Monday’s deadline for players from the 2019 draft to sign rookie-scale extensions prior to the start of the season, and it will keep Clarke in a Grizzlies jersey through the 2026-27 NBA season.
Clarke has played all three of his seasons with the Grizzlies after Memphis traded with Oklahoma City to acquire him on draft night, and he has established himself as an integral part of the team’s bench unit. He has started in just 21 games over the course of his career so far, but he provides steady production in a reserve role. Last season, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks in 19.5 minutes per performance while shooting an impressive 64 percent from the floor.
Clarke’s production rose slightly in the postseason, which is typically something teams like to see when making decisions about investing in young players. In 12 playoff games, he posted averages of 12.3 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game.
The Grizzlies were one of the more surprising teams in the NBA last season, as they finished with the second-best record in the entire NBA and made it to the Western Conference semifinals before they were ultimately vanquished by the Golden State Warriors. They’ll be looking to take another step forward in the new season, and Clarke projects to be a big part of that.
