They can, but they probably shouldn’t.
NBA Free Agency isn’t quite the spectacle it used to be. No longer are the days of superstars joining together to create superteams amid the dog days of summer. The reinforced Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has ushered in a new era of roster building, primarily through trade.
Every top free agent this offseason has a player option to decline and eventually re-sign or pick up. Those being LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Julius Randle, John Collins, Fred VanVleet, and so on. If any said player were to decline and test the free agency waters, their options would be limited to a few teams.
Thus, if not for trades, roster movement would be relatively minimal in today’s NBA. While the league’s All-Stars might not be on the move, the second and third waves of free agents certainly will be. Unrestricted free agents such as Malik Beasley, Brook Lopez, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Clint Capela, Gary Trent Jr., and Ty Jerome will draw the most suitors. That’s because these players fall reasonably within the non-tax midlevel exception range of $14.1 million.
The Bulls are armed with salary cap space and the midlevel exception
About a third of the league’s 30 teams are capable of using their full, non-tax midlevel exception, with the Chicago Bulls being one of these teams. Chicago is capable of clearing quite a bit of salary, $25.1 million to be exact. However, that $25.1 million is tied up in a free-agent hold of Josh Giddey. If the Bulls were to waive this cap hold, they’d lose bird rights on Giddey—a scenario that isn’t going to happen.
Still, even with Giddey’s cap hold and eventual contract extension, the Bulls will have $14.1 million to shell out to a free agent of choice. Among the aforementioned names, Beasley, Alexander-Walker, Trent Jr., and Jerome all mesh with Chicago’s rebuilding timeline. However, one of these players stands out among the others.
Jerome finished third in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting after averaging career-highs across the board. The 27-year-old guard totaled 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Jerome shot an extremely efficient 51.6 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from beyond the arc. Prior to last season, Jerome had never appeared in more than 50 games or totaled at least 400 points.
Cleveland’s Ty Jerome is a player worth monitoring (for the right price)
Although he’s 27, his game is just now taking off, six years after being drafted 24th overall in 2019. Coming off an impressive campaign, Jerome is up for a raise from his measly $2.5 million salary. Luckily for the Cleveland Cavaliers, signing Jerome to a lucrative extension is possible. Cleveland can re-sign the 6-foot-5 guard to a four-year, $64 million contract despite being well over the luxury tax.
Yet, if Cleveland does decide to extend Jerome, luxury tax penalties will be steep. A $14.3 million salary in 2025-26 will cost Cleveland an additional $80 million in luxury tax penalties. Is an additional $80 million in penalties worth a seventh man? The answer is probably not, and the reason why the Cavaliers traded for De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline.
With the $14.1 non-tax midlevel exception, the Bulls can tempt Jerome to flee. It’s about the same amount that Cleveland can hypothetically offer. Moreover, the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies are also teams the Cavs should keep an eye on, according to Cleveland.com.
These four squads could go as far as to surpass the full non-tax midlevel exception for the right player, which might be Jerome in a class of less-than-stellar alternatives. While the Bulls can poach the ascending Jerome, it’s still an unlikely scenario to occur. Using the full mid-level exception on a combination of bigs and wing defenders is the most likely scenario. Think Luke Kornet, Precious Achiuwa, and perhaps Capela.