CLEVELAND, Ohio — New Cavs guard Lonzo Ball defends multiple positions, makes 3-pointers and throws smart passes. He’ll do it all for $10 million next season, plus a potential team option the following year. And if this bargain sounds too sweet to believe, then you must be a smart shopper.
The best deals always come with a catch.
In Cleveland’s case, adding Ball meant losing Sixth Man of the Year candidate (and local favorite) Ty Jerome, who signed a 3-year, $28 million deal with the Grizzlies two days after Cleveland traded Isaac Okoro for Ball.
Trading Okoro made sense given lack of playoff contributions. Fitting Ball into coach Kenny Atkinson’s system will be fast and fun to watch. But while losing Jerome lowers Cleveland’s luxury tax bill, it also makes Ball indispensable.
And this is where I lose the Cavs’ logic.
True enough, Jerome struggled during Round 2 of Cleveland’s playoff run (eight points per game, 30% shooting) which raised questions about his value. His new contract, once expected to include around $14 million per year, reflects a similar league-wide apprehension. In a vacuum, Ball’s stingy defense and speedy decision making could even fit Cleveland better than Jerome’s scoring and shot creation.
In reality, however, “could” hangs over Ball’s career like a carrot he can’t reach. The former second overall pick _could_ have thrived next to LeBron James in Los Angeles if Ball had solved his shooting stoke sooner. But it took Ball three seasons to crack 33% from 3-point range. And by that point, the Lakers had already traded him for Anthony Davis.
The Bulls _could_ have asked for a better trade return if Ball had a durable track record (they probably could have, anyway), but they didn’t because he doesn’t. Ball has only played 70 games over the past four years. He underwent three knee surgeries from 2022-2023, which caused him to miss two full seasons. And a nagging wrist injury limited him to 35 games last season.
Any Cavs “could” concerning Ball begins with a bet that he stays healthy, and we’d all love to see him play a full season. But I wouldn’t bet my best championship window on it.
Reminder: Cleveland has a rare chance to win the East while the previous two conference champions nurse heavy wounds. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will miss most (if not all) of next season with Achilles injuries. The Cavs return one of two healthy Eastern Conference cores that won 50 games last season (The other is the New York Knicks). And by the way, Donovan Mitchell only has two years left on his contract.
Cleveland is back on the clock to convince Mitchell he can win here. And it won’t get a better chance than next season.
Hence why we nitpick every roster decision. En route to the NBA Finals, the Pacers and Thunder just proved that every warm body counts, and you can never have too many ball handlers. Backup point guards manage crucial stretches. Sixth men can swing games.
Ball can boost Cleveland’s ceiling, but only if he’s available.
To be fair, Jerome has battled his own injury demons as a pro. Before playing 70 games last season, he’d never played more than 48. The Grizzlies have their own durability questions to confront.
But they also have guards like Scottie Pippen Jr., who averaged 21 minutes in 79 games last season, to support and/or fill in for Jerome or Ja Morant. They acquired Magic sixth man Cole Anthony (18 minutes per game, 69 games last year) in their Desmond Bane trade.
Meanwhile, the Cavs support All-Star guards Mitchell and Darius Garland with a ball-handling bench mob of Ball, Craig Porter Jr. and second-round pick Tyrese Proctor. Want to count De’Andre Hunter, whose on-ball role will increase with Jerome gone? OK, but he averages 1.5 career assists. Most of the shots he creates are his own.
Counting on another leap from star big man Evan Mobley? Sure, but Cleveland struggled to feed him last postseason.
Think shooting guard Sam Merrill, whom Cleveland signed to a contract strikingly similar to Jerome’s, will add juice off the dribble? Me neither.
Ball-handling guards hold an offense’s keys. Porter has logged 35 career playoff minutes. And over the last decade, only six second-round rookies like Proctor have played 10 playoff minutes per game for a team that won a series.
What if Ball gets hurt again? What if his jumper fades during the playoffs? Did you know that, entering his age 28 season, Ball has never played a postseason minute?
You can think his game will translate to the playoffs, but you can’t know. You can’t even know whether Ball will make it that far. And this is why I wouldn’t have let Jerome walk.
This year could be different. Ball could stay healthy. The Cavs could be better with him in Jerome’s shoes.
Or they could place too many eggs in one Big Baller Basket. The basket could break. And Cleveland could learn a hard lesson:
Bargain shopping has its downsides.
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