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Cavaliers free agency: Ty Jerome is top target, question mark for Cleveland
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- Cavaliers free agency: Ty Jerome is top target, question mark for Cleveland
Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome had a breakout season, but his year ended on a similar down note as the rest of the Cavs with a second-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers .
Two questions remain heading into the summer: Will Jerome be back, and what changes will the Cavs make before the 2025-26 season?
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Jerome produced a dynamic 2024-25 season, transforming from a rarely used backup guard into one of the best bench players in the league and a major reason why the Cavs finished with arguably the NBA's No. 1 offense. After playing in only two games in 2023-24, he became a staple in Kenny Atkinson's rotation and finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting .
His production, though, cratered in a 4-1 series loss to the Pacers. Potential suitors will have to weigh his postseason performance against his outstanding regular season once he's officially on the open market.
What is Cavs' interest level in re-signing Ty Jerome ?
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Monday, May 19, the Cavs would love to have Jerome back. He also left the door open for the team to extend itself into the second apron.
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Ty Jerome free agency a main question for Cavaliers offseason
But Jerome's future in Cleveland remains in doubt. He is an unrestricted free agent expected to receive a significant pay raise after he made roughly $2.5 million in each of the last two seasons .
The Cavaliers might be able to come out as the top bidder, but there will be consequences to it unless other major moves are made.
As constructed, the Cavaliers enter the offseason with one of the highest payrolls in the league, projected to be around $234 million . Two major factors have elevated that number and likely made it more difficult — or perhaps just more painful — to keep Jerome.
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The first was the De'Andre Hunter trade , which not only added his salary but also took Caris LeVert 's expiring deal off the books. That was an aggressive move with the thinking that Hunter's acquisition could be the last piece for a title run.
The other was Evan Mobley winning Defensive Player of the Year , which triggered an escalator in his contract extension.
The Hunter trade, at least, was a deliberate move, and the Cavs knew the potential fallout this summer.
While Atkinson and the Cavs have perhaps the top offense in the NBA, it all comes with a price tag . Donovan Mitchell ($48.7 million), Darius Garland ($39.4 million), Mobley ($38.6 before the escalator), Hunter ($23.3 million) and Jarrett Allen ($20 million) are all signed long term.
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What is the NBA's second apron?
The NBA's second apron is the closest thing to a hard salary cap the league has in place. The Cavs are projected to be over this second apron, and a Jerome signing would push them further above it.
Teams that spend above the second apron threshold are subject to severe consequences that impact their ability to build the roster. The exact number won't be determined until July, but it has been projected to sit at $207 million. Barring a major shakeup of the roster, the Cavs will be over this number — it's just a question of how much.
Teams above the second apron cannot acquire sign-and-trade players. They are limited to trades they can make when it comes to salary matching. They no longer have access to the mid-level exception.
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They cannot trade first-round picks seven years in the future like other teams can. They cannot use trade exceptions from prior years, and they cannot use trade exceptions when combining the salaries of multiple players.
All of that is in addition to harsh tax penalties the higher teams go over the first and second aprons.
And if teams remain in the second apron over a long-term period, they're subject to additional penalties in a several-year period.
As Altman noted, it further puts pressure on the end of the bench and the back end of the roster.
In other words, the NBA's second apron is designed to still allow teams to spend like crazy if they want, but it'll begin to hurt if that spending continues for too long. So when looking at re-signing Jerome, especially, the Cavs must grapple with how much they want to mess with those consequences in addition to Jerome's potential interest elsewhere.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs free agents 2025, Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill lead class
