The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a very weird position. They failed to sign LeBron James this summer, and they didn’t add much depth outside of that. Plus, they still need to re-sign James Harden, and the second apron could be coming for them as soon as next season. But as they look for meaningful means of improvement, one could be internal: Jaylon Tyson.
According to a Cavaliers executive who spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac, the organization is very high on him: “If we need to move some money to make other moves, it might have the added benefit of freeing up more minutes for Jaylon. I know some people think we might not like him as much, but look at the guys in front of him. Veteran shooters. Defenders. Off-ball guys. We love Jaylon and if he keeps improving in those areas, the minutes will come.”
So, even if the Cavaliers do run into the second apron, they could be okay with letting players go, as it could give Tyson the chance to play more.
Cavaliers are okay cutting salaries because of how much they like Jaylon Tyson
Tyson has been an important piece of the puzzle in Cleveland for the first two years of his career. This past year, he took a leap up, playing more minutes and improving almost all of his stats.
This past year, Tyson appeared in 66 games (46 starts) for the Cavs, playing 26.9 minutes per contest (up from 9.6 his rookie season). Tyson averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 49.3% from the field and 44.6% from deep on 4.5 three-point attempts per contest.
Those are some pretty great numbers, especially for just his second season. And at just 23 years old, Tyson still has a huge runway for improvement, especially if he keeps playing heavy minutes.
With Donovan Mitchell on a massive contract, Evan Mobley on a max, and Harden about to sign a new deal, the Cavs are eventually going to have to start making cuts because of the second apron.
Max Strus could be one of those guys. He’s on an expiring deal this year, and if he wants too much money on his next contract, the Cavaliers could choose to let him walk.
If the Cavaliers decided to trade a guy like Sam Merrill or Dennis Schroder for financial reasons, that would probably end in Tyson getting more minutes, too.
Based on the information Smith got, it seems clear that the Cavaliers like Tyson. And if they have to make cuts because of the second apron, they are perfectly comfortable doing so because of Tyson’s potential rise up the ranks.
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