NBA Rumors: Cavaliers At Risk Of Losing Two Key Players This Offseason

The Cleveland Cavaliers were dominant all season long, finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18. They demolished the Miami Heat in a sweep in the first round of the playoffs before running into a red-hot Indiana Pacers team and surprisingly bowing out in the second round in five games.

Now comes word from insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN that the Cavs could be at risk of losing a couple of critical rotation pieces that helped them get to that 64-win plateau.

The Cavs are entering the second apron next season with two valued bench players, Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill, headed to unrestricted free agency.
They are in danger of losing one or both -- and could face having to trade another player to re-sign them.

Jerome, who missed almost the entire 2023-24 season due to injury, nearly doubled his points total this season from his last full year, to 12.5 ppg, while shooting a sizzling 43.9% from long range. He played 20 minutes a game, and was a key cog in the Cavs' success this season. Unfortunately, as a free agent, he's likely priced himself out of town.

They might be in the same boat with Merrill, 29, who also shot well from three-point range, and played close to 20 minutes per night.

Both players were part of the regular bench rotation for Cleveland, but might be poached by rival teams.

As Windhorst notes, second apron teams face "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."

So for Cleveland, they've got some important roster and tax manipulation to do this summer.