Depth was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ calling card in the 2024-25 season and a major reason why they won 64 games during the regular season and secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Players up and down the roster could be relied on to consistently produce for the Cavaliers.
However, two important bench pieces for the Cavaliers are set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, and their futures with the Cavaliers are murky. Guard Ty Jerome was one of the elite bench players in the NBA, as he averaged 12.5 points per game with the Cavaliers this season and shot a red-hot 43.9 percent from 3-point range.
As for Sam Merrill, he has a gift for scoring the ball from deep and shot 37.2 percent from 3-point range on 5.2 attempts per game.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has reported that the Cavaliers are “in danger” of losing one or both players in the offseason.
“The Cavs are entering the second apron next season with two valued bench players, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill, headed to unrestricted free agency,” Windhorst wrote.
“They are in danger of losing one or both — and could face having to trade another player to re-sign them, even though team president Koby Altman said last week that team ownership has given him the green light to spend to keep the team together. Once again, though, the challenge for Cleveland and other second apron teams isn’t just the balance sheet but the punitive penalties that rob the ability to manage rosters. Going deeper into the apron just makes it all that much harder to get out of it, which is guaranteed to be a forced reality at some point.”
Jerome is likely to have plenty of interested suitors in free agency, considering the career year he just enjoyed, and he’s already been linked to one contender out West. Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor recently reported that the Denver Nuggets have interest in acquiring Jerome.
The 27-year-old was named as one of three finalists along with Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard and Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley for this season’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He didn’t end up winning the hardware, as the award went to Pritchard.
Merrill might not have as many teams interested in him on the open market as Jerome will, as he’s relatively a one-trick pony compared to Jerome, who’s much more than just a great 3-point shooter. However, 3-point shooting is a skill that’s extremely valued in the NBA, and Merrill can space the floor with the best of them.
Hopefully, the Cavaliers can retain both Merrill and Jerome and sign them to contract extensions, but it’s unclear if that’s a realistic outcome given the franchise’s financial situation.
At the very least, it seems as if the Cavaliers will be put to the test from a financial standpoint in free agency.