The Chicago Bulls have been built on a foundation of guards, often at the expense of size and lineup versatility. However, their outlook, specifically financially, has led the Bulls to come up in speculation about Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome in free agency.
He is heading for unrestricted free agency following the Cavs’ second-round playoff exit.
“One Eastern Conference executive who spoke with cleveland.com estimated Ty Jerome’s valuation to be $12-14 million annually,” Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor wrote on May 22. “Those more lucrative multi-year contracts are typically reserved for starter-quality lead guards — and Jerome is primarily viewed as a backup, finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
“If the 27-year-old Jerome is looking for more money, it would have to come from a team with estimated practical salary cap space. There aren’t many of those. Brooklyn. Detroit. Memphis. Chicago.”
Ty Jerome is the most creative floater artist in the NBA…
Snakes around screens and creates space with funky footwork, contact initiation, and deceleration. Then, nails floaters from all angles, platforms, and release points with insane volume + efficiency. Uniquely skilled.
Jerome, who turns 28 in July, averaged a career-high 12.5 points, and his 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds are highs in seasons in which he has played a qualifying number of games.
Jerome averaged 13.3/4.3/2.8 in four appearances against the Bulls in 2024-25.
Bulls Could Be Next Stop on Ty Jerome’s Journey in Free Agency
GettyTy Jerome #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates during the first quarter of game two of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Miami Heat.
Jerome was a first-round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. He never suited up for the organization. The 76ers traded him to the Boston Celtics following the draft, and the Cs flipped him to the Phoenix Suns less than one month later.
Jerome broke into the league with the Suns’ G League affiliate in 2019-20, spending four seasons with the organization before they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jerome made several other stops before finding his way to the Bulls’ rival, the Cavaliers.
The Thunder traded Jerome to the Houston Rockets in 2022, but the latter waived him the following day. He signed with the Golden State Warriors, spending the 2022-23 season with them before signing with the Cavs in 2023.
Jerome won a national championship with the University of Virginia Cavaliers in his final collegiate season in 2018-19.
The Bulls remain guard-heavy, with Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Josh Giddey all significant contributors when healthy. However, none of them have certain futures. Giddey is a restricted free agent this offseason, and his price tag is expected to be high.
Aussie @NBA star Josh Giddey produced the most insane moment of his career in the final moments of Chicago’s win against the Lakers. #9Today
STORY: t.co/MaXPnHOq9d
Dosunmu and White are both extension-eligible this offseason.
The former is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, while the latter could get more expensive at a time when the Bulls are not built to contend, even in a winnable Eastern Conference.
However, that does not automatically make Jerome the best option for the Bulls, particularly as a starter.
Pacers Exposed Big Red Flag for Ty Jerome
GettyTy Jerome #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs.
According to Fedor, Jerome was in line for a much larger deal in free agency before the wheels fell off on his breakout campaign with the Bulls’ nemesis.
“A bigger payday once seemed plausible — until Jerome’s horrendous second-round performance against speedy, athletic, feisty Indiana who exposed some of his most worrisome traits, especially on defense,” Fedor wrote. “The Pacers treated him as a figurative traffic cone.”
Jerome averaged 11.7/3.6/2.4 on 47.8% eFG, connecting on 38.9% from deep in the playoffs.
Nice defense by Ty Jerome leads to a Mitchell 👌
Midway through the 4Q on TNT.
However, after finishing the opening round against the Miami Heat with a plus-88 plus-minus, Jerome was a minus-13 against the Pacers. The Bulls should aim higher in free agency.
