Ty Jerome, unrestricted
In helping lead the Virginia Cavaliers to a National Championship in college during the 2019 season, Ty Jerome quickly moved up draft boards leading up to the draft. Jerome was a late first-round draft pick by the Philadelphia 76ers and would eventually be traded to the Phoenix Suns on draft night. After getting his start with the Suns, Jerome struggled to carve out a consistent role with the team. So much so that the Suns elected to trade Jerome to the Oklahoma City Thunder after his first season with the team.
While he had some bright moments with the Thunder, that didn't last long as he would be traded to the Houston Rockets and then waived. Signing a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors just before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, the hope was that Jerome would be able to work his way back into the good graces of the Association. That didn't pan out that well in Golden State, and Jerome would eventually get another shot the following season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jerome only appeared in two games last season for the Cavs but has completely taken full advantage of his opportunity this year in Cleveland. In what has easily been the best season of his career thus far, Jerome is averaging 12 points, three assists, and three rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from 3-point range. As the Cavs have emerged as one of the most complete teams in the NBA, Jerome has played a pretty strong role on the team while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game as one of the primary guards off the bench.
With how strong of a season Jerome has had this season in Cleveland, it will be interesting to see what type of market ends up developing for him heading into free agency. In theory, Jerome should be able to land a strong free-agent contract. He's still just 27 years old and has proven that he could play a significant role on a good team. He may not have the high-end starting potential that a few other players on this list have, but there's no question he can be a useful player for many teams across the league. Jerome is right where he wants to be heading into unrestricted free agency.