As the Cleveland Cavaliers try to shake off a disappointing playoff exit in the second round of the NBA Playoffs to the Indiana Pacers after finishing first in the Eastern Conference, the team is looking to run it back and compete for a championship. However, the Cavs could be in serious jeopardy due to their inability to retain some key players on their team, which has received more updates following a recent trade around the league.
The news was broken Saturday that Cleveland would trade for Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for Isaac Okoro, but also that the team would give Sam Merrill a four-year, $38 million contract. According to ClutchPoints’ NBA Insider Brett Siegel, this signals that it “looks increasingly unlikely” that the team retains NBA Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome.
“After trading for Ball, it looks increasingly unlikely that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome will return in free agency,” Siegel wrote. “Plenty of teams will hold interest in potentially signing Jerome using their full mid-level exception in free agency.”
“Keep an eye on teams like the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and Sacramento Kings as potential landing spots for Jerome,” Siegel continued. “These four teams have a key need for backcourt depth.”
The inevitability of the Cavs losing out on Ty Jerome
David Richard-Imagn Images
While there could have been pressure on the Cavs to retain Jerome after the surgery to Darius Garland a few weeks ago, the team would make moves in their backcourt, but some that seem to lead to the inevitable departure of the 27-year-old. Jerome had been a crucial member of the team’s bench as a sparkplug on offense, but as Jake Fischer of “The Stein Line” would also write, it’s heading to a situation where the team will lose out on him.
“The Cavaliers are widely expected to re-sign forthcoming free agent Sam Merrill, but the move to acquire Ball is a signal that Cleveland anticipates losing Ty Jerome in free agency,” Fischer wrote.
“Jerome is said to be seeking a deal that starts at the full midlevel exception, which is valued at $14.1 million,” Fischer continued. “Ball’s recent contract extension with the Bulls, which as we’ve pointed out previously was instantly described as soon as it was agreed to in February as a highly tradeable contract, will earn him $20 million over the next two seasons … with his new employers in Cleveland holding a team option for 2026-27.”
At any rate, Cleveland is looking to further improve after finishing with a 64-18 record, which put them first in the Eastern Conference, but they were eliminated by the Pacers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, as mentioned before. Still, the team will be led by stars such as Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Garland, and more, including the newcomer in Ball.
