Ty Jerome to the Sacramento Kings? One NBA writer thinks so.

It’s common knowledge at this point that the Sacramento Kings will be hunting for a new point guard in the coming weeks.

With free agency set to begin on June 30th, the Kings have already been linked to several options on both the free agent and trade market, but one NBA writer thinks that Sacramento could be an ideal fit for one guard who will be seeking a new deal this summer.

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus predicts that Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome will sign with the Kings in free agency, citing that Sacramento’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.8 million) could lure Jerome to the 916.

The Cavaliers need to make several difficult decisions this summer. Ty Jerome was an integral part of the team’s regular-season success.

Unfortunately, the group underperformed in the postseason. A lot could be attributed to health, but Jerome couldn’t fill in enough of the cracks, as Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell were dealing with injury (as was center Jarrett Allen). After Evan Mobley won the Defensive Player of the Year award, his salary jumped to 30 percent of the cap (instead of 25), and Cleveland has one of the heaviest payrolls in the league. That’s before considering Jerome, who will seek as much of a raise as he can muster.

Prediction: The Sacramento Kings have the NTMLE available and need a starting-capable guard who can come off the bench.

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus – June 18, 2025

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Jerome, who will turn 28 years old in July, will become an unrestricted free agent on June 30th following two seasons in Cleveland.

The 24th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft just put the finishing touches on the best season of his professional career, playing in a career-high 70 games en route to posting averages of 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

Jerome proved that he can be one of the best-shooting guards in the game, posting a 51 percent field goal percentage, a 44 percent mark from three-point range (fourth-best in the NBA), and an 87 percent free-throw percentage.

At 64.3%, Jerome ranked 11th among all NBA players in true shooting percentage during the 2024-25 season.

If Sacramento views Jerome as a potential starting option, giving him the non-tax MLE, as Pincus predicts, makes sense. However, if the Kings plan to slot Jerome into a backup point guard role — as was the case with the Cavs — the biannual exception ($5.1 million) could make more sense, although it’s likely Jerome will command more on the open market.

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According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Sacramento is rumored to be looking at several options for their vacant point guard role, including former Defensive Player of the Year winner Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, and soon-to-be free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Unlike Holiday and Smart, Brogdon can be had without giving up assets in a trade, as the 32-year-old will become a free agent on June 30th after finishing the final year of a two-year, $45 million deal that was signed before the 2023-24 season.

When healthy, Brogdon has been a solid contributor who can space the floor and create plays for others, a skill he showcased at a high level just two seasons ago when he took home the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award while playing in Boston.

While his career numbers of 15.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 46/38/87 shooting splits look like an ideal stop-gap option for Sacramento, Brogdon’s durability is his most significant concern when it comes to signing a potential free agent deal.

Over the past two seasons, Brogdon has played in just 53 of 164 possible games. Outside of logging 67 games during his Sixth Man of the Year season in 2022-23, the Virginia product has only appeared in more 65 games just once during his nine NBA seasons–his rookie campaign in 2016-17.

Ty Jerome to the Sacramento Kings? One NBA writer thinks so.

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