Ty Jerome has yet to play a single game with the Memphis Grizzlies since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a three-year, $27.6 million deal in free agency. The former Sixth Man of the Year candidate may not get too many games under his belt in Memphis once he does debut.
The unofficial start to NBA trade season is rapidly approaching. Dec. 15 is the day when many notable free agent signings will have restrictions on involving them in trades lifted. Based on when he signed, Jerome will be counted among those players.
Why would the Grizzlies give up on him before the former Cavalier has barely played any games with them? That has less to do with Jerome himself, and more to do with Memphis as a whole. The franchise could just want a fresh start overall.
Grizzlies teardown could include rerouting Ty Jerome
There has been a lot of speculation this season that asks whether the Ja Morant era in Memphis is quickly approaching its end. Right now, the discussions on that are a bit split.
Zach Lowe discussed on his podcast that Morant is playing like someone who wants out of his current situation. Lowe confirmed there are definitely teams who are watching the Grizzlies star, monitoring how things develop.
An important piece of intel came from Fansided's Matt Moore. The NBA insider suggested the package offered for Morant would have to be a really good one.
Moore wrote, "Memphis is not willing to consider Ja Morant trades unless it’s a no-brainer (which no one is calling with), according to sources. They want to make this work. Morant may have to force the issue if there is to be a trade."
In the circumstances that Morant does push hard to be moved, one would expect the Grizzlies to just hit the reset button overall. Considering how disappointing their season has been, it should not surprise anyone.
The Grizzlies are 4-11, hanging around the basement of the Western Conference. With the barrier of entry pretty low for this year's Play-In spots in the West thus far, Memphis could still climb up there. If they do not, that should pretty much tell anyone all they need to know.
If the Grizzlies are hitting a reset, whether it be a hard or a soft one, Jerome's $8.8 million salary for 2025-26 stands out as a very tradeable contract. That is especially true considering the bench spark that comes with the skill set of the former Cav.
Memphis could recoup some potential trade capital or a young player in a potential deal. Jerome, meanwhile, could get an opportunity to play for a team with higher ambitions once more.