As soon at midnight struck on July 1st, new rookie contract extensions could be announced under the rules of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and their players.
Within a half hour, the Memphis Grizzlies made history with one of their franchise cornerstones.
Desmond Bane – the 30th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft – has been inked to the largest contract every signed by a Grizzlies player, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. This deal surpasses Ja Morant’s 5-year $197 million contract signed last year, which of course blew past Mike Conley’s massive (at the time) 5-year $153 million deal he signed back in 2016.
Of course, Bane is not your typical 30th overall pick. Desmond Bane is one of the NBA’s most efficient scorer, posting a season of 21 points per game in 2022-2023 while also securing 5 rebound and over 4 assists per contest. That type of production while remaining an elite marksman from beyond the arc puts him in elite, max contract territory.
The NBA salary cap rules establish what money makes up a max contract. By most statistical measures, Bane is one of those players. But beyond that, on a team that sorely needs leadership, Desmond Bane is a shining example of how even coming off of his third season in the NBA a player of his mentality and toughness (he played much of last season with a toe injury that he got surgery on in May) carries significant weight. He doesn’t have the athleticism of Ja Morant, or the frame of Jaren Jackson Jr. He certainly doesn’t have the accolades that those two possess.
The case can be made, however, that of the three Bane has the most current basketball skill, especially on the offensive end of the floor as a three-level scorer who can create shots not just for himself, but for others. Bane also improved defensively this past season, showing growth in terms of maintaining positioning and being at least a net-neutral on that end of the floor, and in 2022-2023 the Grizzlies defense was actually better when Bane was on the floor than when he was off of it.
Combine all those things together, and again – a max player, regardless of national attention paid to him or his market.
The Grizzlies core is now locked in to Memphis for the foreseeable future. Morant’s 5-year contract extension begins this season. Jackson Jr. has three years left on his current (descending in value) contract. And Desmond Bane, including this coming season which is the last of his rookie deal, will be with Memphis barring some unforeseen trade for the next six years.
Now, the focus can be on improvement – both on the floor and off of it – for Bane and the team he helps lead. For with three players on the Grizzlies boasting nine-figure contracts, the time for contention has arrived for Memphis. And the road to the NBA Finals has only gotten tougher in the Western Conference.
If anyone is ready to step to the challenge ahead, it’s Desmond Bane.