Ty Jerome May Be Playing His Way Out of Grizzlies Trade Talks

There are three undefeated teams in the NBA, and only two have played four games. One of those teams is the Memphis Grizzlies.

By now, it's fair to question whether they need to lean harder into their rebuild by trading emerging star guard Ty Jerome.

That was certainly my prevailing logic all summer. The first half of the 2026-27 season was an audition for Jerome. If he played well enough, Memphis should look to move him for a haul at the deadline.

What I didn't consider was: What if he was too good? What if he led the Grizzlies to wins? Is there a breaking point where it would make more sense to hang onto Jerome?

If there is, we've absolutely reached it.

As of this writing, Jerome had his first bad game of the season. He went for 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field in the Grizzlies' 110-105 win over the Utah Jazz.

Yet, his per-game numbers still look remarkable.

Through four games, Jerome is averaging 29.8 points and 6.3 assists per game with a 63.6% true shooting percentage and 9.5 Box Plus/Minus.

As the Western Conference Player of the Week, it wouldn't be unreasonable to say Jerome has been the best player in the NBA so far.

It's exceedingly early. He almost certainly won't be in that conversation by season's end. Still, an All-Star bid is beginning to feel inevitable. All-NBA is well within reach.

Jerome has arrived.

But does that mean Memphis should keep him?

It isn't that simple.

If Jerome keeps this level of play up, there's no telling what his trade value could be. If Memphis received an offer including multiple future first-round picks, it could be hard to justify hanging on to the 29-year-old.

However, it also depends on the team's record.

If the Grizzlies are on pace for home-court advantage in the playoffs, they'd have to consider the possibility that their rebuild is prematurely over. For a team starting a rookie, with so many young players in its rotation, that would be an extremely positive indicator.

For now, the Grizzlies should keep their focus on the next game.

They own the Jazz's 2027 pick, provided, per the new lottery rules, it falls outside the top five, and the league's new rules disincentivize tanking anyway.

They can reevaluate their short-, medium-, and long-term goals as the deadline approaches.

But if Jerome keeps this up, it'll probably make the most sense to include him in all of them.