Miracle at the end of the second round! The Cavaliers renewed their three-point shooting, and 60 picks back

According to the well-known NBA reporter Shams Charania late-night report on June 29, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached a heavy contract renewal agreement with free agent guard Sam Merrill. This four-year contract with a total value of up to $38 million marks the former last draft player who completed a gorgeous transformation from a marginal player in the NBA to a player worth tens of millions! The contract was finalized, and the Cavaliers management negotiated efficiently with Merrill's Priority Sports agency (agents Kieran Piller and Mark Bartelstein). For Merrill, who was selected in the 60th overall pick in the 2019 draft (i.e. the last one), the contract is undoubtedly a huge leap and recognition of his career.

The Cavaliers' contract renewal directly strengthened the team's bench depth in the backcourt. Currently, the Cavaliers point guard has star player Dalius Garland, rookie Craig Porter Jr. who performed well last season, Lonzo Ball, who just gotten from the Bulls but is still recovering from the injury, and Merrill, who now renews his contract to stay in the team. The signing is so crucial because the Cavaliers are expected to lose Isaiah Jerome, who performed well last season and was even nominated for the sixth man of the year, in the free agent market. Merrill's stay is the "key fill-in" prepared for Jerome's possible departure.

Merill, who is about to turn 29, was one of the important contributors to the Cavaliers' rise to the league's top three-point firepower brigade last season. He played in 71 games with a career-high score of 1.9 three-pointers per game, and his overall three-point shooting percentage was stable at 37.2%. It is more worth mentioning that for most of the 2023-24 season, his three-point shooting percentage once exceeded an astonishing 40%, making him one of the most trusted turrets on the Cavaliers' outside (5.2 shots per game).

Merill's relationship with the Knight is quite dramatic. In 2023, he struggled to join the Cavaliers with only a 10-day short contract, but with his efficient and desperate performance in a limited time, he quickly conquered the coaching staff and management and successfully transformed the short contract into a guaranteed multi-year contract. This contract expired this summer, and the 4-year and 38 million new contract is the best reward for his efforts - from "temporary workers" to "formal workers" to today's "Mr. Tens of Millions", Merrill's counterattack can be regarded as a textbook for the struggle of small NBA figures.