The Memphis Grizzlies have started the season so well that they actually might be priming themselves for a Ty Jerome trade.
That’s a long way off, but it’ll be a fascinating subplot to watch as time goes along. If Jerome continues to cook, his contract implications will be such that Memphis has to at least consider a deal.
Jerome is playing the best basketball of his career. He scored 45 points in the season opener. Earlier this week, he went on a 9-0 personal run to force overtime and ended the Grizzlies’ first loss (after a 6-0 start) with 40 points.
He remains a great passer, and he’s got a unique game that he has made work for him at an incredibly high level.
Trading Jerome at any point this season would potentially be painful for the Grizzlies. But a new article in The Athletic by John Hollinger, himself a former Memphis exec, shows why it might have to happen.
Ty Jerome Trade Chances
The Grizzlies have Jerome on a contract that’s going to be tough to keep — and which could lead to a trade.
“Jerome’s contract is so good that it’s actually too good,” Hollinger writes. “He’s signed for the paltry sum of $9.2 million for this season and has a player option after the season for $9.7 million that he will surely opt out of if he stays healthy (always an issue for him). And because he signed his deal less than two years ago, he is not extension-eligible. Even if he opts into that $9.7 million and extends off it, the rules limit how much Memphis could pay him in the out years to a number far below what he’d likely get in unrestricted free agency.”
You can already start to do the math. If Memphis can’t keep Jerome, should they trade him?
“That puts the Grizzlies in an interesting spot,” Hollinger writes. “Thought to be rebuilding, they could be faced with the quandary of paying a 29-year-old free agent (he turns 30 in July) his market value or losing him for nothing. That, in turn, could make Jerome a trade candidate at the Feb. 11 deadline — especially if the young Grizzlies can’t maintain their winning ways.”
If Jerome keeps playing at anywhere near this level, Memphis may simply be too good to make a move. But if the Grizzlies fall off while Jerome stays strong, then it could be in play.
Injury Concern
The one note here is that Jerome is injured quite often in his NBA career.
If the Grizzlies actually want to trade him, and if they have conviction on that path at some point, they might not want to wait. An injury could foil them into losing Jerome for nothing.
For now, though, Memphis won’t worry about that yet. They have just one loss, and they have one of the best players in the NBA on their team. The Grizzlies will embrace that opportunity for as long as they can.
Grizzlies Facing Threat of Unpopular Ty Jerome Trade