Cavs may re-sign Ty Jerome amid Darius Garland injury

Jun 10, 2025 5:33 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are now faced with the reality that they will begin the 2025-26 NBA season without their starting point guard, Darius Garland.

Garland recently underwent surgery on his left big toe, which will sideline him for an unspecified portion of the early season.

This development puts even greater emphasis on the team’s upcoming decision regarding Ty Jerome, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Should Jerome choose to sign elsewhere, Cleveland would find itself entering the new season without its top two options at the point guard position, a concerning scenario for a team with playoff aspirations.

Jerome served as Garland’s primary backup during the previous campaign and excelled in his role, providing valuable minutes off the bench and earning praise for his steady play as the Cavaliers’ sixth man.

Jerome earned $2.5 million last season, the final year of a two-year deal he signed with Cleveland back in 2023.

The Cavaliers do retain his Early Bird rights, giving them the ability to offer a more lucrative contract to retain his services without having to use cap space. However, navigating the financial implications of such a deal won’t be simple.

Cleveland is already projected to be over the second apron, a new tier of luxury tax introduced in the latest collective bargaining agreement, largely due to the significant contract extensions about to begin for star players Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

Both are set to command salaries worth 30% of the cap, drastically tightening the team’s financial flexibility.

If the Cavaliers want to bring Jerome back at a market-value rate, they may be forced to make tough roster decisions to shed salary elsewhere.

\Otherwise, keeping him would mean venturing even further into the punitive financial territory beyond the second apron, which brings with it significant restrictions on team-building tools, such as trade flexibility and mid-level exceptions.

All of this places pressure on the front office to weigh Jerome’s value against their long-term financial strategy and to act swiftly in a rapidly approaching offseason filled with uncertainty.