CLEVELAND, Ohio — Free agent Cavs guard Ty Jerome wants his money, and the Cavs need to pay him. I thought we all understood this — you, me, Jerome and Cavs leadership — until I read the following tidbits in an offseason scuttlebutt story co-authored by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps last week:
The expectation around the league is that it will take the full midlevel exception — roughly $14.1 million — to get Jerome signed. Cleveland, however, is hoping to get him to return for a bit less, sources said, as it attempts to navigate the second luxury tax apron and the team-building challenges that go along with it.
Oh, brother.
Now is not the time for Cleveland to clutch pennies on Jerome’s next contract. The feel-good-story sixth man just played the best season of his career (career-high 12.5 points, 3.4 assists per game). Through six NBA seasons, he “only” counts $15.9 million dollars in career earnings (we should all be so broke). And this offseason, when teams will count few marquees free agents and Jerome will celebrate his 28th birthday, may be his best chance to sign a big deal.
I expect Jerome to maximize his earnings. I expected Cavs president Koby Altman and Dan Gilbert to meet Jerome’s demands. But now I hope they don’t make a mistake.
And let’s be clear: Losing Jerome over nitpick negotiations would be a mistake.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers in game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 13, 2025
If Ty Jerome leaves, Cleveland picks from the scrap heap. It likely loses production in the process. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Cavs have no good Jerome replacement option
Jerome averaged 12.5 points while posting a 60.5% effective field goal percentage last season. Only 11 other NBA players can say the same, and none of them will be available for the league minimum this offseason.
You can debate whether Jerome is/will be “worth” over $14 million dollars per year. His playoff performance against the Pacers, which included eight points per game on 30% shooting, won’t help his case. But any Jerome exit strategy must include his replacement. And Cleveland’s list of potential successors might help fans forget about their point guard’s postseason struggles.
Spencer Dinwiddie, a career 41% shooter? Ben Simmons, who’s been scared to shoot since leaving Philadelphia? Kyle Lowry, who turns 40 next March?
These are the types of players the Cavs can expect to sign on a veteran’s minimum deal. And thanks to second apron restrictions, that’s the only tool the Cavs have to add free agents this summer.
If Jerome leaves, Cleveland picks from the scrap heap. It likely loses production in the process. And every margin matters for a team with championship aspirations, particularly when that team’s starting point guard, Darius Garland, could miss time to start next season.
One more note on Jerome’s playoff struggles: Garland’s toe injury forced him into an unexpected, outsized role to start the Pacers series. Jerome couldn’t cosplay as the two-time All-Star (or anything close), but he could still contribute to a future playoff run in the proper role.
And for the right price.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings, April 6, 2025
Ty Jerome’s inner dog never stopped barking despite his long wait for NBA prominence. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Jerome is a prideful, ambitious player
Nothing in business is personal. But Jerome might be the only person who saw his breakout season coming, which makes him the last one I’d want to tell, “Bring me an offer to match.”
Before last year, Jerome never played more than 48 regular season games and never tallied more than three 20-point games in a season (he had 15 such games last year). The credit for Jerome’s ascendance belongs to many parties, including Cleveland’s front office for identifying his potential and its coaches for empowering him last season. But first on the list is Jerome’s inner dog, which never stopped barking despite his long wait for consistent minutes.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, who also worked with Jerome in Golden State during the 2022-23 season, admitted several times this past season that he never foresaw Jerome carving this large a role for himself in the league. Jerome’s response?
“They just didn’t give me the freedom back in Golden State, that’s all,” he said.
Jerome still believed that sentiment when he was playing behind Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Last season only empowered his ambition. And the trick with ambitious people is that no accomplishment soothes their fire.
Jerome wants to prove more, which might make him less motivated to sign for a discount.
Selfish? Try prideful, with a pinch of earned keep. The Cavs need Jerome to spark their second unit again next season. They might need him to start in Garland’s absence early. Plus, as mentioned above, they don’t have a replacement waiting if he walks.
I believe they could re-sign Jerome tomorrow with the right contract offer. But as ESPN reported, the Cavs would prefer not to pay market value. And any “hope” for a cheaper deal is based on belief that Jerome won’t find a better one.
Good luck to Altman, or Gilbert, or whoever’s job it is to deliver that message. Good luck explaining to Jerome’s agents that the guard must prove himself again after touting how much you believed. Good luck telling a hungry man that a few million of a billionaire’s dollars (plus luxury tax expenses) are too many to pay him.
I’m sure that will sit well with the player who told cleveland.com the following this past season:
“... I never sit back and say, ‘Oh, look what I did!’ It’s never ending,” Jerome said. “I want to be in this thing for another 10 years. I’m not even close to the player that I want to become.”
Cavs should take other suitors seriously
Two sides make a deal, but Jerome needs three to earn leverage. And if the Cavs offer a discount contract, they will also be telling him:
We don’t buy your Plan B.
Using context clues, the Cavs don’t think Jerome wants to leave. They believe they offer him the best basketball environment, if not the most earning potential. And frankly, they have a strong case.
Cleveland has Jerome’s closest college friend (De’Andre Hunter) and his former AAU teammate (Donovan Mitchell) under contract for at least the next two seasons. They earned credibility by helping Jerome emerge last season. And even though they’re deep in the luxury tax, they count few teams who can drive Jerome’s price above their budget.
Specifically: Only four teams can create enough cap space to sign Jerome for more than the non-taxpayers’ mid-level-exception (worth $14.1 million) this summer. And only one of them (Brooklyn) can do so without sacrificing other pieces. the playoffs last season). Twenty-four more teams can offer Jerome the MLE, but Cleveland wonders how many will. And if somebody does, it wonders how many can sway Jerome’s interest away from the best record in basketball and a sizable sixth man role.
Start with the Dallas Mavericks, who badly need ball-handlers while star guard Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL. Dallas can offer the MLE, a larger role, no state tax and a roster that will likely feature Anthony Davis and presumptive first overall pick Cooper Flagg. Can’t count out the Mavs.
Nor should Cleveland ignore the Magic, which already added Desmond Bane via trade this week. In the process, Orlando cleared enough cap to access its full MLE. And Jerome fits their need for shooting and ball-handling. The Magic also boast no state tax and a strong young core (Bane, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs) and, if the Cavs negotiate too hard, a chance at revenge by staying in the East.
The Brooklyn Nets will have money (and minutes) to burn this summer, and Jerome is a New York native. Brooklyn is not close to winning, but its check book is worth mentioning.
Last — and perhaps least likely — the Kings are once again desperate for guard play, to the point where Jerome could win a starting job next season. He’d sacrifice winning and chemistry along the way. Plus, California taxes cut deep. But if he wants to test his ceiling, Sacramento offers a runway.
Again, the Cavs can match most offers. Jerome fits well in their ecosystem. Shouldn’t this be a simple transaction?
Sure, as long as the Cavs admit Jerome’s worth. I thought we all understood it, but just in case, let’s show the math. Cleveland lacks a Jerome replacement. The sixth man lacks a taste for disrespect. And his lack of exit ramps is overstated.
To solve the equation, pay the man. Cleaning your cap sheet isn’t worth losing a quality contributor.