Sam Merrill, Cavs Reportedly Agree to $38M Contract Ahead of 2025 NBA Free Agency
Sam Merrill reportedly will stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason after agreeing to a new contract on Saturday.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the 29-year-old intends to sign a four-year, $38 million deal with the Cavaliers in free agency.
ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that the Cavs, who are now over the second apron, have a projected tax bill of $145 million.
The deal for Merrill comes after the Cavs added some front-court depth with the addition of Lonzo Ball, whom Cleveland landed by sending Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls.
The addition of Ball, coupled with the re-signing of Merrill, indicates that the Cavs are preparing for a future without free agent guard Ty Jerome, who had a career year last season when he averaged 12.5 points per game. Jerome, a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, is widely expected to get a big payday in free agency.
Merrill, an outstanding collegiate player who won Mountain West Player of the Year in 2019 at Utah State, was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans with the last pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
After being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, he appeared in just 30 games as a rookie. During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Merrill spent most of his time in the G League.
He finally found his place as an everyday NBA player during the 2023-24 season, putting up 8.0 points per game while playing just 17.5 minutes per game. Merrill continued his solid play this year, posting 7.2 points per game on 37.2 percent from deep while playing 19.7 minutes per contest, enough to earn him a new deal with the team.
