Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. may incidentally become a huge benefactor in the wake of Victor Wembanyama’s latest injury.
The San Antonio Spurs wunderkind was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder that will reportedly keep him out for the rest of the season. The issue was discovered after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following his first All-Star game appearance in San Francisco.
While the news was devastating for Wemby’s supporters, it also had an outsized impact on this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Wembanyama had been the runaway favorite to win the award, given his average of 3.8 blocks across 46 games played this season. His blood clot issue will force him to fall well short of the 65-game threshold necessary to be eligible for season-long awards.
Jackson Jr. is now considered one of the favorites to win his second DPOY trophy. If he wins, the Grizzlies big man would become eligible to sign a 5-year, $345 million contract extension in the offseason. Such a deal would top Jayson Tatum’s record-setting contract from last summer.
A player needs to do one of the following to become eligible for a supermax deal: (1) make an All-NBA team, (2) be named Defensive Player of the Year, or (3) win the MVP trophy. One could also be supermax eligible if the player makes an All-NBA team in the two preceding years, wins the DPOY award in the two preceding years, or gets named MVP in any of the last three seasons.
Jackson, who earned his second All-Star nod earlier this month, could also conceivably make an All-NBA team this season for the first time in his career. But with Wembanyama out of the picture, the DPOY route seems like the easier path for him to become supermax eligible.
If he does not earn any of the necessary distinctions, Jackson would only be eligible for a 4-year, $147 million veteran extension this offseason. It does not take a math wizard to figure out how much Jackson Jr. stands to gain.
