The Memphis Grizzlies are typically spectators when it comes to NBA free agency. Their last free-agent signing came in July 2019, when the franchise pried Tyus Jones away from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman kicked off the 2025 free agency period with a bang. Memphis renegotiated and extended Jaren Jackson Jr. to a near-max contract while retaining restricted free agent Santi Aldama. Two-way player Cam Spencer was also signed to a two-year guaranteed NBA contract.
Retooling the Roster in Memphis
Kleiman is tasked with building a more complete roster after trading away Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, and one of the pieces of choice is Ty Jerome.
Free agent guard Ty Jerome has agreed to a three-year, $28 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, with a player option in year three, sources tell ESPN. Kieran Piller and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports negotiated the new deal with the Grizzlies. pic.twitter.com/guChFbO1BI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
To be eligible for awards in the NBA, a player must play 65 regular-season games. Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has eclipsed that total once, in his 67-game rookie season during the 2019-20 campaign.
Not only was Bane one of the best three-point shooters in the Association, he was a secondary ball handler for the Grizz when Morant was off the floor. His departure thus creating a void in both shooting and secondary playmaking.
Enter Jerome.
Jerome the Journeyman
Jerome is heading to his fifth team in seven seasons after being drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 2019. He just finished the best season of his career for the Cleveland Cavaliers, one in which he finished third in KIA NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Jerome averaged 19.9 minutes per game and put up a career-best 12.5 points while shooting 43.9% from three-point range and also dishing out 3.4 assists. His Per 36 stats suggest he is capable of similar production to Bane.
The Grizzlies do not need three mouths to feed offensively. The goal is to put the right pieces around Morant and Jackson. For years, shot distribution has been an interesting dynamic in Memphis, whether it was Dillon Brooks taking too many or Jackson not taking enough.
With the subtraction of Bane and addition of Jerome, the Grizzlies gain a role player that can spot up, defend, and distribute the ball, a more natural fit for the current roster. The current construction of the roster could lead to Jerome starting next to Morant or reprising his role as a valued sixth man.
