Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. missed out on a big payday after he was not named to one of the three All-NBA teams this season.
Jackson would have been in line to receive a supermax deal if he made one of the teams. However, he received only one second-team vote and 52 third-team votes to finish with the second-highest total not to make the team.
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Because of that, three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams said that the league needs to make changes to its rule that the supermax deal is dependent on an All-NBA team selection. One hundred media members determine such honors, which is not reflective of a player’s true value since the vote is subjective.
“I disagree with the media having so much influence on you like they can cost you $200 million,” said Williams on the recent episode of “Run it Back on FDTV.”
Even a coach’s vote would be biased
Had Jackson been voted to one of the three All-NBA squads, he would have been eligible to receive a five-year contract extension worth roughly $345 million. But because the media thinks he wasn’t among the 15 best players in the league this season, JJJ will have to settle for a four-year deal worth around $146 million or a massive difference of $200 million, as Lou Will noted.
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“Sweet Lou” added that fixing this will be tricky because even if the league uses fan votes to determine the All-NBA teams, there can still be bias. Lou’s co-hosts Chandler Parsons and Michelle Beadle, opined that perhaps having coaches do the selection might be better. However, Williams explained that even coaches can be prejudiced.
“If I’m a coach, and I’m looking to be petty, and I’m looking at a possible playoff matchup, I’m gonna piss this guy off. I’m gonna ring his bell, and I’m gonna cost him some cheese. Or if I have the opportunity to get a guy, and I want him to be more affordable for my team, and I can possibly get him in the offseason, I can rig that up as well…There’s no easy way to get out of it,” added “The Underground GOAT.”
No easy fix here
Jackson had an impressive season for the Grizzlies, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game while missing just 8 regular-season games. The 25-year-old earned his second All-Star selection and was named to the All-Defensive second team this season.
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However, the media panel voting for the awards didn’t think he deserved a spot on one of the three teams, and that significantly altered JJJ’s earning power.
“At the end of the day, everybody is affected by everything in this business. Even if you get the fans to do it, there’s gonnabe a problem. If you get the coaches to do it, there’s a problem. You get the players, media, and so on and so forth; there’s gonna be caveats no matter which way you go,” continued Lou.
JJJ is slated to make $23.4 million in the final year of his first contract extension, which he signed in 2021. That deal was worth $104 million for four years. It’s crazy that one DPOY award, two All-Star game appearances, and three All-NBA team nods later, Jackson missed out on the supermax deal.