MEMPHIS – On the eve of signing a four-year contract extension, forward Brandon Clarke met with students in the Memphis Grizzlies Scholars Program to share advice on everything from fashion and saving money to building confidence through adolescent years.
But it was Clarke’s final message that resonated most at the youth function.
“The most important thing you can do is stay focused in school,” Clarke told the group he surprised with a visit. “You never know where you’ll end up. But you’ll know how to be prepared to do the work that it’ll take to get there, to reach your goals.”
Turns out, the Grizzlies power forward was speaking from experience.
Should Clarke’s new deal play out according to plans, he knows exactly where he’ll be for the foreseeable future. And by all accounts, he’s certainly put in the work to get here entering his fourth season in Memphis. As a result, Clarke becomes the latest Grizzlies player to sign a contract extension that could keep this team’s core intact as a blossoming title contender.
Clarke joins Ja Morant, John Konchar and Steven Adams as players who signed multi-year extensions with Memphis in recent months. In addition, well-respected backup point guard Tyus Jones remained in Memphis during free agency after agreeing to a two-year deal in July.
And with the Grizzlies having picked up rookie-scale team options on Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama in recent days, the front-office has essentially locked in majority of a rotation that looks to build on last season’s breakthrough campaign. That includes fourth-year coach Taylor Jenkins, who also inked a lengthy extension with the Grizzlies over the summer.
Now that a huge chunk of business is out of the way, the Grizzlies press ahead with basketball preparations ahead of Wednesday’s season and home opener against the Knicks.
“The business side of the game is always there, always looming,” Jenkins said. “Luckily, our guys haven’t let that impact their work ethic over the summer or entering the season. I’m proud they got rewarded for it. But just having guys who we’re continuing to build with, the core group to keep pressing on with, is really powerful.”
The commitment to Clarke bolsters the power rotation. The 6-foot-8 reserve is a key member of a unit that ranked the past two seasons among the NBA’s most productive benches. Clarke’s combination of athleticism, rebounding and consistent finishes in the paint with dunks or floaters have defined his game since he was acquired as the No. 21 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Although he’s spent most of his career at power forward in a backup role to Jaren Jackson Jr., Clarke has played significant minutes as well as the second unit’s center behind Adams. That dual role for Clarke could be even more pronounced early in the season, with Jackson sidelined as he continues rehab from offseason foot surgery.
Clarke alluded at media day last month that he was in a good spot whether or not he got an extension done ahead of the season. The Grizzlies and Clarke could have elected to bypass the extension deadline this week, which would have set him up to become a restricted free agent next summer. In that scenario, Memphis would have had the right to match any offer Clarke would have received from another team.
But here is clearly where Clarke truly wanted to remain.
“This team is really my life, so to just see on paper that I’m here the next four years is a very good feeling,” Clarke said. “I know a lot of guys don’t get this luxury and have to play the whole year feeling like they have to prove themselves again. But I feel like I’ve proven myself multiple times on this team, so I’m glad to get this out of the way.”
After signing his extension, Clarke got a big hug from Jenkins at practice.
“I told him how proud I am of his growth, his impact on winning for us,” Jenkins said. “He’s earned every cent and every ounce of that contract.”
The Grizzlies have made it a priority to continue to invest in the players they’ve selected in the draft or have developed through their pipeline the past four years. Zach Kleiman, executive vice president and general manager, has repeatedly declared that the front-office and ownership will not hesitate to keep and extend players they’ve identified as essential to the franchise.
They’ve proven as much, time and again in recent years.
“Our team and front office in general have done a good job in the draft in finding guys that fit the team really well,” Clarke explained. “I like the way we have built our team from the draft and finding gems. The fact we’ve done that shows how great of a team we are, how great of a front office we have and how we care about building a really good program.”
Yet that only raises the bar moving forward with a team that matched a franchise record with 56 victories last season, posted the NBA’s second-best overall record and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to eventual champion Golden State.
Jenkins embraces the rising expectations that accompany core continuity.
“It allows us to understand where we have to push the needle even more as a team,” Jenkins said of bringing back eight of the nine most efficient and productive players from last season’s team. “It makes my job easier, but also harder in a way. This is the group, but in what ways do we have to adapt to move forward more? There’s always going to be challenges, but this group knows what we do and how we operate every single day, and that gives me confidence.”
There are other challenges to sort through leading to Wednesday’s opener. On the injury front, Jenkins said Williams’ status remains uncertain as the second-year forward sat out of Monday’s workout with a non-COVID illness. Williams also missed the final two preseason games with knee soreness, and Jenkins said he will continue to be evaluated leading into Wednesday.
The staff is also sorting through rotation options, which includes the starting power forward spot where Aldama has spent the preseason filling in for Jackson. Aldama spoke of the pride he’d feel opening Wednesday’s game in the starting lineup, but also added he hasn’t gotten an official word from Jenkins.
“So, I don’t know yet,” Aldama insisted. “But if that happens, that’s the goal, so I’m happy. But there are 82 games. It’s one game at a time and we’ll try to get the win. I’ll do everything the same way. I feel very comfortable and have been getting better in every aspect of the game, so every day I’m out there I’m helping more. I’m hoping to build off that.”
Aldama then admitted it’ll be hard to sleep the night before Wednesday’s opener.
Meanwhile, Clarke can rest a bit easier knowing his long-term deal got done.