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Offseason Report Card: Cavaliers get an A, three Bs and two Ds for summer moves

By Josh Cornelissen

Max Strus, Miami Heat and Georges Niang, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Max Strus, Miami Heat and Georges Niang, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Ty Jerome, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

3. Signed Ty Jerome

Signed to 2-year, $4.6 million contract

Last season the Cavaliers brought Ricky Rubio along slowly after he tore his ACL the season before, integrating him into the rotation late in the season. He did not play particularly well, and whether or not he will improve further removed from the injury or whether he is on the steep downslope of his career is an open question.

The Cavs needed to therefore address the point guard position this offseason in such a way that they weren’t breaking the bank for a third point guard but were signing a player that could assume backup duties should Rubio be on his way out.

Cleveland landed on Ty Jerome, the former Virginia point guard who played last season on a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors. He played well, a fixture in their rotation for most of the season, but their financial situation was such that they couldn’t match a deal higher than the veteran’s minimum.

That’s how the Cavs struck, giving Jerome a deal using a sliver of that leftover Mid-Level Exception. He joins the backcourt and brings a useful combination of ball handling, crafty finishing and steady passing. He hit 38.9 percent of his 3-pointers last season, a major step up from the rest of his career. If the shooting is real, Jerome will end up a steal on his contract. If not, and if the defense stays shaky, he may not have solved any problem but in the process prevented the Cavs from adding a different option at point guard.

Grade: B