The Cavaliers are also a lock to have less shot creation than last season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken steps to add ball handling and playmaking in the backcourt so far this offseason. They grabbed former Duke guard Tyrese Proctor in the second round of the NBA Draft and traded Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball. Both should help an area of weakness for the Cavs during their recent playoff collapse to the Indiana Pacers.
That extra help in the backcourt will be much needed as it seems that Cleveland will be losing Ty Jerome in free agency. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Jerome is now viewed as a “lock to leave Cleveland.”
Stein listed the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies as teams that could be in the mix for Jerome’s services. Since Stein’s report, the Hornets traded for former Cavalier Collin Sexton. That could take them out of the running.
Jerome is expected to ask for a salary with an annual value of the mid-level exception ($14.1 million). The Cavs could offer up to $14.3 million on the first season of a multi-year deal due to having Jerome’s early Bird rights.
It’s understandable that the Cavs wouldn’t want to continue into the second apron and drastically increase their luxury tax bill to retain Jerome. At the same time, it’s difficult to see Cleveland as being a better team now than they were at the start of the offseason. That is incredibly disappointing, considering the Eastern Conference is more wide open than ever.
Ball — who played 70 combined games in the last four years, which is the same number Jerome did last season — is a good player and what the Cavs need. But he’s not someone who can easily create his own shot. The same can be said about the rest of the top bench players of Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, and Max Strus (assuming the Cavs finally decide to start the only small forward on the roster, which is admittedly a big assumption).
Shot creation matters, especially in a playoff context. It’s easy to see Jerome’s struggles against the Pacers and write off his ability to be impactful in a high-level playoff series. At the same time, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t getting to his typical spots on the floor. The shots he made all season weren’t falling.
Additionally, losing Jerome would also forfeit a salary slot. This means that the Cavs wouldn’t have the ability to trade Jerome’s contract for someone with a similar or lesser contract. That’s important for a team over the salary cap like the Cavs.
Even if you think Jerome isn’t a playoff player, it’s clear that there’s at least some interest around the league in him. If you were to retain him, you could flip him for a piece that fits better later on, similar to what the Cavs did with Isaac Okoro’s contract a few days ago.
Things change quickly in the NBA. Just because it looks like Jerome is leaving now doesn’t mean that the Cavs can’t reverse course.
But make no mistake, this team isn’t better set up to compete for a championship now than they were when the season ended. That is disappointing for a group that will have the franchise’s best chance to win a championship without LeBron James.