CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs find themselves at a critical financial crossroads that could ultimately determine the team’s championship trajectory. In a recent episode of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto delved into the complex realities of the NBA’s new “second apron” salary cap restrictions and how they’re forcing the Cavs to make difficult decisions about players like Ty Jerome.
“The problem with, ‘being in the second apron’ isn’t just that it costs you zillions of dollars to sign a free agent,” Pluto said. “What it does is it limits the moves you can make. It really restricts what type of free agents you can sign. It’s almost like you almost stuck just signing guys on minimum contracts.”
The financial handcuffs create a ripple effect throughout the organization. When the Cavs consider re-signing a player like Ty Jerome, they’re not just evaluating his on-court production but calculating how his contract affects their ability to improve the team through other means.
Jimmy Watkins of cleveland.com recently argued the Cavaliers should not mess around with Jerome’s contract and simply pay him what he’s worth instead of looking for a discount.
But Pluto says he’s fine with Jerome leaving Cleveland or staying, and that while Jerome proved valuable, his price tag might not justify the restrictions it would place on future Cavs moves.
“I’m just not going to go crazy about Ty Jerome,” Pluto said. “It depends on the deal. I’m into the price thing.”
The financial implications are staggering. What might seem like a reasonable $14 million contract for Jerome could balloon to much more when factoring in the “premium” tax penalties attached.
This reality forces Cleveland to look inward for improvement rather than to the free agent market. One intriguing possibility lies with Craig Porter Jr.
Pluto believes Porter could provide similar value to what the Indiana Pacers get from TJ McConnell. He said he’s hearing from his sources that the Cavs would like to see more out of Porter.
“I said, ‘What’s the problem?’ And they told me, ‘Craig Porter Jr., he’s a really nice kid, you know, he shows up on time, all that.’ But they want him, if you want to be a point guard, whatever, they want some fire from him. You know, first in the gym, that kind of guy, last to leave, play with a sense of desperation, because that’s what it takes.”
That approach aligns perfectly with second-year coach Kenny Atkinson, renowned for his player development skills. The Cavaliers recognized their financial limitations were coming, and Atkinson’s expertise could be the perfect countermeasure.
“The Cavs knew as they were dealing with their salary cap concerns, the apron coming, they weren’t going to make a ton of big moves anymore,” Pluto said.
The approach mirrors a league-wide pattern where financially restricted teams must cultivate talent rather than acquire it. Boston’s recent trade of Jrue Holiday to Portland shows how even championship-caliber teams must manage these restrictions.
As the league enters this new financial era, the teams that master internal development will have a decisive advantage.
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_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Terry’s Talkin’, a weekly cleveland.com sports podcast. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._