Jerome, a UVA Basketball alum, offered that shocking revelation in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Cleveland, this past year will always hold a special place in my heart,” Jerome wrote. “Although I was never presented with the option of returning nor did last season end how I wanted to, I will never forget all that this year brought.”
It was clear that it wasn’t money when we saw what Jerome signed for with Memphis – three years, $28 million.
The talk ahead of the opening of the free-agency period on July 1 was that Jerome would command in the area of the $14.1 million mid-level exception, and that going there would push Cleveland toward a massive luxury-tax penalty.
Turns out, he signed a deal with an average value of $9.3 million a year, which is below the guy that Cleveland acquired to fill Jerome’s spot as the backup point guard, former #2 overall pick Lonzo Ball, who is on the second year of a two-year, $20 million contract with a team option for 2026-2027.
Ball has been on the floor for 70 games over the past four seasons, missing the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons after undergoing three surgeries on his left knee, and he was on the floor for 35 games in Chicago this past season, averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game, shooting 36.6 percent from the floor overall, and 34.4 percent from three.
Jerome has had his own issues with injuries. Ahead of the 2024-2025 season, he’d never played in more than 48 games in any of his first five seasons in the NBA, and he missed the final 80 games of his first season in Cleveland, 2023-2024, with an ankle injury.
Jerome had a career year in 2024-2025, playing in 70 games, averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 19.9 minutes per game, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 43.9 percent from three, both career-bests.
Ty Jerome is known as a guy who uses the slightest of perceived slights as motivation.
Go ahead and expect him to use this to play like his hair is on fire down in Memphis next season.
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Chris Graham
