The Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2025 period of free agency with one of the most promising rosters in the NBA. All-NBA point guard Ja Morant and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. lead a captivating group that includes All-Rookie First Team honorees Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, breakout postseason performer Scotty Pippen Jr., and two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Just when it seemed as though the Grizzlies couldn't add to an increasingly expensive core, they pulled out the biggest bargain signing of the summer.
Memphis re-signed Santi Aldama, Jackson, and Cam Spencer shortly after free agency began. Rather than concluding their spending there, the front office stepped up with a late acquisition that could transform the identity of the Grizzlies' already vaunted second unit.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Memphis signed sharpshooting guard Ty Jerome to a three-year, $28 million contract.
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
Fresh off of thriving on a 64-win Cleveland Cavaliers team, Jerome has signed a three-year deal with the Grizzlies at a significantly lower price point than anticipated.
Memphis Grizzlies land Ty Jerome on a bargain contract
Jerome was one of the breakout performers of the 2024-25 season. Trusted to provide Cleveland's second unit with a crucial dose of offensive consistency, he not only answered the call, but looked the part of a rising star.
Jerome finished the 2024-25 campaign averaging 12.5 points, 3.4 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in just 19.9 minutes per game.
Those per-game numbers translate to marks of 22.7 points, 6.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 2.9 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes. In other words: He posted All-Star per-36 numbers while maintaining an elite slash line of .516/.439/.872.
For perspective on why they can be described as All-Star numbers: Jerome was the only player in the NBA who averaged at least 20.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per 36 minutes.
Considering that doesn't even factor in his near 50-40-90 shooting marks, that's an astonishing fact to consider. It's thus even more remarkable that the Grizzlies were able to sign Jerome for less than $10 million per season.
The Grizzlies will now have a chance to build perhaps the best backup perimeter trio in the NBA with Jerome, Pippen, and Wells.
Throw in Aldama and 2025 first-round draft pick Cedric Coward, and Memphis has a second unit that could place among the Association's elite. It's a realistic dream considering the Grizzlies' second unit ranked No. 7 in the NBA in net rating in 2024-25—and has now added an explosive scoring threat.
Many teams struck gold on the first night of free agency, but it was the Grizzlies that landed the unquestioned biggest steal of the summer thus far.