The Memphis Grizzlies are signing former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome to a three-year, $28 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Jerome had a breakout 2024-25 campaign with the Cavs, posting career-best numbers across the board — 12.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds on a scorching 64.3 percent true shooting. Impact metrics like Estimated Plus-Minus viewed Jerome as a top-30 player (plus-3.4) last season.
Jerome was one of the NBA’s best reserves in 2024-25, spelling Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland while maintaining Cleveland’s offensive potency. Lineups featuring two of the three aforementioned guards all performed within a few points of each other, even comparing the Jerome lineups to units with both Mitchell and Garland on the floor.
Grade: A
Despite a dominant regular season, Jerome’s poor second-round performance against the Indiana Pacers could deflate his market some. Without a fully healthy backcourt and increased on-ball usage, Jerome’s efficiency tanked over 12 percent from the regular season. His secondary creation and deep-range sharpshooting should still benefit a Memphis team needing more ball-handling and shooting after trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic.
The Grizzlies struggled to create positive offense in the half-court last season, ranking 15th in half-court offensive rating. Memphis ranked near the bottom 10 in 3-point frequency, another figure Jerome should help boost. His solid positional defense and event creation should help him contribute to the Grizzlies’ strong defensive foundation.
Jerome’s small sample playoff struggles might underscore his woes as a lead creator, but he shouldn’t have to moonlight as a primary, assuming the Grizzlies remain healthy. With a healthier guard cohort around him, he played closer to his regular season self against the Miami Heat in round one, and his shooting, off-ball movement and secondary passing will pair smoothly with Ja Morant.
If the Grizzlies continue running head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s ball-screen-heavy offense, Jerome will boost the potency there. He produced an excellent 1.03 points per possession from his 4.7 pick-and-roll handler chances last season, ranking in the top 10 among players with at least four possessions per game.
While Jerome’s efficacy as a creator suffers when opponents key in on him and play him with tighter defensive coverage, that can be said about the majority of non-stars in the NBA. He’s a major value at this price point and a win for a retooling Grizzlies team hoping to finally make a deep playoff run with this current core.
