Reggie Jackson was one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, as he was a major reason why the Clippers were able to make it to the Western Conference Finals despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard. Jackson, who averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game in the regular season, pushed those to 17.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in the playoffs on tremendous efficiency (48.4/40.8/87.8 shooting splits).
Jackson’s performance on a minimum deal was exactly what the Clippers needed in that moment, and set him up as one of the point guards set to cash in this summer once the top names signed their new contracts. Whether he would stay in Los Angeles was a significant question, as the Clippers could offer him a deal worth an average of $10.5 million per year to stay in a place he loved, but there was potentially much more out there for him to get on the open market.
In the end, Jackson chose to return to the Clippers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Jackson and Los Angeles came to terms on a two-year contract worth $22 million.
Free agent G Reggie Jackson plans to sign a two-year, $22M deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers as soon as allowable at 6 PM ET, agents Aaron Mintz and Erika Ruiz of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. The deal is the maximum LA can pay Jackson under CBA rules.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 6, 2021
One of his teammates couldn’t be happier.
Yesssir gang back. https://t.co/WyHV6yyNIG
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 6, 2021
As of this writing, the Clippers are still waiting to figure out Leonard’s next move. But in the meantime, they made it a point to bring back someone who played a crucial role to their success last season.