The Memphis Grizzlies secured their backcourt for the long term when shooting guard Michael Dickerson on Tuesday agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $45 million.

	Dickerson

Dickerson's deal is similar to the extension point guard Jason Williams signed two weeks ago.

"I plan on doing everything in my power to help the Grizzlies become one of the elite franchises in the NBA and to make the fans of Memphis proud of how hard we play every night," Dickerson said.

The Grizzlies and Dickerson had until Wednesday to reach an agreement. If they missed the deadline, both sides would have been prohibited from negotiating until next summer.

Dickerson, 26, recently returned to practice after a stomach virus that kept him from the team's final four exhibition games. The Grizzlies open their season at home Thursday against Detroit.

"In the end, he decided that Memphis is where he wants to be," Dickerson's agent Mark Bartlestein told ESPN Insider on Tuesday. "The Grizzlies came to the table with an acceptable offer and he decided it was time to get it done."

Bartlestein said the contract would be signed Wednesday.

When asked if the Grizzlies' relocation from Vancouver helped sway Dickerson's decision, Bartlestein said: "He does like Memphis, but he's just excited about the direction the team is going. They've got a lot of young talent and now he'll have the ability to grow with this team."

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Dickerson played in just four preseason games for the Grizzlies, averaging 18.5 points a game. Last season, he averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 70 games.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.