CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs will open free agency by bringing back one of their own.
A league source told cleveland.com that unrestricted free agent shooting guard Sam Merrill intends to sign a four-year, $38 million contract to stay in Cleveland.
Even though the NBA free agency moratorium period doesn’t begin until Monday at 6 p.m., the Cavs were able to negotiate with Merrill in advance because he is their own free agent and also extension-eligible.
Merrill, 29, is the Cavaliers’ latest player development success story.
The last pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Merrill began his professional career in Milwaukee before joining the Memphis Grizzlies. Then in 2022, Merrill became the No. 1 overall pick in the G League draft, being selected by the Cleveland Charge — the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate — and joining the team for training camp. After about five months in the G League, Merrill received a promotion, originally signing a 10-day contract that turned into a standard multi-year deal.
This past season, his second full-time campaign with the Cavs, Merrill averaged 7.2 points on 40.6% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range while playing a career-high 19.7 minutes.
Merrill — known for his prolific outside shooting, gravity, deft cutting and improved defense — became a trusted piece of head coach Kenny Atkinson’s rotation. Merrill played part in Cleveland finishing with a 64-18 record, the best in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs also had the league’s top-ranked offense.