NBA Media Day signals the official start of the NBA season, and all teams have completed their sessions. The Memphis Grizzlies had plenty of takeaways from their own, but their offseason signing of Ty Jerome stood out throughout conversations from general manager Zach Kleiman and Ty Jerome himself.
The 6'5" guard, who was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on the first day of free agency. His contract value turned out to be a three-year deal worth $28 million, which slotted under the Grizzlies' Room Mid-Level Exception, to the surprise of many.
Jerome was expected to sign a deal closer to the full non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which would've started his salary at around $14 million in year one as opposed to the close to $9 million he received. Both Kleiman and Jerome confirmed during their Media Day sessions why the Grizzlies were able to sign Jerome on a bargain deal.
Tuomas Iisalo's system was Jerome's selling point
Many questioned the Grizzlies' decision to fire former head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games remaining last season. Many more questioned their decision to forgo a coaching search to promote interim coach Tuomas Iisalo to the main seat full-time, after a 5-10 finish (including play-in and playoff games) last season.
However, Iisalo has appeared to be a well-respected basketball mind in league circles after coming to the NBA from Paris Basketball last offseason. Zach Kleiman admitted that Jerome chose to commit to the Grizzlies for lesser money due to Iisalo's offensive system that promotes a lot of movement and pick-and-roll.
Ty Jerome mentioned that "you always want to go with where you’re wanted most," while also admitting that he agreed with the direction the team is headed and thought the fit was a match for him. The Grizzlies haven't been known as a free agent destination, and the Jerome signing signaled their biggest in recent franchise history.
His role will continue to be a microwave scorer off the bench, similar to what he was in Cleveland last season. With the departure of Desmond Bane this summer, the team needed to replace his shooting and scoring ability, while also upgrading the ball handling and defense. Jerome checks off two of those boxes, while the other boxes will be handled by other personnel.
Signing Jerome was a huge deal for the team at the time of the signing, and it looks even bigger after learning that he chose to sign for less money due to the team's vision and belief in the new head coach.