Among the many shrewd finds from the Memphis Grizzlies’ scouting department is 26-year-old John Konchar. The 6’5 forward is a heady off-ball mover and stout defender who’s drilled over 40 percent of his triples in his career. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Konchar agreed to a three-year, $19 million contract extension on Thursday that runs through the 2026-27 season. Wojnarowski reports the deal is fully guaranteed.
Memphis Grizzlies G John Konchar has agreed to a three-year, $19 million contract extension, his agent @GeorgeLangberg tells ESPN. The deal, fully guaranteed, will take the undrafted guard out of Purdue-Ft. Wayne to $30M in career earnings.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 7, 2022
Last year, Konchar emerged as a useful part of the Grizzlies’ wing depth off the bench, appearing in 72 regular-season games and logging 17.2 minutes per night. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 61.5 percent true shooting (.515/.413/.551 split).
With the departures of De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson, there’s a chance Konchar may stand to garner increased minutes next season. However, Memphis is loaded with options, so that’s far from a lock. Nonetheless, Konchar is a rock-solid wing who’s set to earn over $30 million in his career after being undrafted back in 2019, so this is quite the cool development.
Konchar is a bit marginalized because of how many excellent players the Grizzlies roster. He could certainly carve out a more substantial and consistent rotation spot on many other teams. He’s a good player who fills the gaps well on both ends. This is a nice deal for he and Memphis, but most importantly him, of course.
