Although they have been quiet so far – to the point that unconfirmed rumors of a 29-year-old 6’3 Malaysian small forward have been arguably the loudest part of their news cycle – the Los Angeles Clippers are, in the opinion of one leading NBA analyst, gearing up for a big offseason.
Speaking on his eponymous YouTube production The Zach Lowe Show, Zach Lowe expressed his belief that the Clippers would be an active team in the market, which opens tomorrow – and floated the name of one prominent free agent in particular as being a logical Clippers target. Lowe suggested that Cleveland Cavaliers shooting Ty Jerome makes “a lot of sense” for the Clippers, and that they are intending to use the full value of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to be buyers in the market.
“Just watch the Clippers. Thatâs all Iâm saying. Theyâre going to have the full mid-level exception. They have a lot of tradable contracts. They have some picks back in the quiverâthe trade quiver. I think they could use a player like Ty Jerome. I like the idea of Ty Jerome on their team, particularly in the minutes when James Harden is on the bench. […] I still think the Clippers are going to be aggressive. And I think Ty Jerome makes a lot of sense for them.â
Cavaliers May Not Be Able To Afford Jerome
Jerome is considered available for the Clippers due to Cleveland’s financial constraints. Despite his excellent play during his break-out season – poor postseason performances notwithstanding – the Cavaliers are coming up against the restrictions of the NBA’s second apron.
Exceeding the second apron means that salary spending is heavily restricted. It may not limit desire, but it will absolutely limit the processes by which those desires can be made manifest. And no team in the NBA wants that, to the point that the Boston Celtics have been mercilessly cutting salary just to avoid having to deal with it.
When the Cavaliers made their deadline trade for De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks, Jerome’s salary slot got filled, and the second apron became a reality. And although yesterday’s rebalancing trade that sent Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Lonzo Ball decluttered the wing rotation somewhat, it did not save enough money to make keeping Jerome easy. It might not even be possible at all.
By contrast, the Clippers can afford to be buyers.
Clippers Have The Means
Having lost Paul George in free agency last summer, the Clippers have no such payroll concerns. They are currently slated to have $174.1 million committed to next season’s payroll, leaving enough wiggle room and spending power under the aprons to be able to continue adding to the team. And when it comes to pure luxury tax payments, Steve Ballmer has the means to pay it.
However, the Clippers’ own deadline-time trade seems to get in the way, at least on the depth chart. In their own February deal with the Hawks, the Clippers acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic, a player who is similar to Jerome while on the same sort of salary that Jerome will likely require.
Bogdanovic, of course, does not have to stay. Yet he is not the only incumbent player to play the same position as Jerome. As Lowe acknowledged, James Harden – who has a $36,346,154 player option to return to the Clippers for next season that he is reportedly leaning towards declining, albeit potentially with a view to re-signing to a longer pact – is also on the books, as is late-career breakout surprise (and near-All Star) Norman Powell.
Clippers Can Never Have Too Much Quality
Nonetheless, as a quality shooter and solid secondary playmaker, Jerome – who averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists per game last season, shooting 43.9% from three-point range and very rarely turning the ball over – would be a significant addition. His 5.9 win shares recorded on the season speak to his great impact; for comparison’s sake, despite his excellent 21.8 points per game season, Powell managed only 5.3 win shares.
There is such a thing as diminishing returns, and instruments for adding external free agents are always finite. But there is no such thing as too much depth, and last season, Ty Jerome was one of the NBA’s best depth pieces. If the Clippers are both willing and able to be buyers in a limited free agency market, this will stand them in good stead – if they can land Jerome, they will have a backcourt quartet that will never let up on opponents.
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