Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers could face a fight to retain Ty Jerome this summer. The veteran guard is heading into unrestricted free agency following a strong season for Kenny Atkinson’s team that saw him finish third in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
In a recent article for Sports Illustrated’s “Cavaliers on SI,” Tommy Wild highlighted Malcolm Brogdon as a potential replacement for Jerome, should he sign elsewhere this summer.
“The front office should absolutely be exploring the free agent market for a backup guard,” Wild wrote. “However, with Cleveland currently being a second-apron team, they can only offer veteran minimum deals. One player the Cavaliers should have on their radar is former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.”
The concern with Brogdon is always his lengthy injury history. The veteran guard played in just 24 games for the Washington Wizards this past season. However, when he was on the court, he averaged 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Still, if he can stay healthy, Brogdon would be a strong addition to Atkinson’s rotation. He’s a high-level scorer, playmaker and overall lead guard. He had great success coming off the Boston Celtics bench in 2022-23, and could fill a similar role behind Donovan Mitchell.
Brogdon is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Given his continued injury issues, he’s likely to be available on a veteran minimum deal. Therefore, if the Cavaliers can’t keep hold of Jerome, Brogdon may be the team’s best option moving forward.
Ty Jerome Could Cost Cavaliers $80 Million
ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently detailed the headache that Jerome’s future could cause for Cleveland.
“Jerome has early Bird rights, allowing Cleveland to sign him up to four years (the contract has to be a minimum of two seasons) and $64 million,” Marks wrote. “To show how punitive the luxury tax rules will be next season, a $14.3 million salary in 2025-26 costs Cleveland an additional $80 million in luxury tax penalties. The Cavaliers have the veteran minimum exception available in the likely scenario that the cost to retain Jerome becomes too high.”
Jerome is undoubtedly an essential part of the Cavaliers’ rotation. However, Koby Altman must weigh Jerome’s impact and importance against the potential cost of re-signing him and paying the associated luxury taxes. If the front office believes they can get similar production elsewhere, they may let Jerome walk this summer.
Jerome Could Interest the Denver Nuggets
If Jerome is set to leave the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com believes the Denver Nuggets could emerge as a logical landing spot.
“Because Jerome has spent two seasons with the Cavaliers, they hold his Early Bird Rights,” Fedor reported. “By rule, he can sign for up to 175% of his contract this year — a negligible pay increase — or 105% of this year’s leaguewide average player salary…Sources say the Nuggets have interest, but they will probably be a first-round team.”
Denver relied on Russell Westbrook as their backup guard last season, with the former MVP impressing. However, Westbrook could opt out of his player option this summer to hit the free agency market. If that happens, Denver may see Jerome as a longer-term solution to their backup guard position.
With so many moving parts, the Cavaliers would be wise to have multiple options at their disposal. Brogdon should undoubtedly be on their radar. However, he shouldn’t be the only player the franchise is doing its due diligence on.