Cavs Used Mid-Level to Sign Sam Merrill, Only This Season Guaranteed

Merrill was signed with a portion of the Cavs’ mid-level exception — which the Cavs used to give Merrill a third year on the deal, per Adams. Merrill will make $850,000 for the rest of this season, and that amount is guaranteed.’

That 850k, by the way, is considerably more than the minimum, as Adams noted.

The Cavs will still control Merrill for the next two seasons at the veteran’s minimum, should they decide to keep him on the standard roster or bring him back with the G League’s Cleveland Charge.

Merrill, 26, is 6-foot-4 and so far has appeared in just two games with the Cavs. He was averaging 17.5 points and shooting about 44 percent on 3-pointers with the Charge.

Drafted by the Pelicans with the No. 60 overall pick in 2020, Merrill immediately was traded to the Bucks. Along with Milwaukee, he has spent time with the Grizzlies.

He holds the lone distinction of being the last player picked overall in the NBA Draft and the first picked overall in the G League Draft (2022).

The Cavs (44-28) face the Wizards (32-37) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.