Sam Merrill got handed a shiny new four-year, $38 million contract by the Cleveland Cavaliers pretty early into the free agency process. That number was a healthy raise, and was met with immediate skeptics. However, the Cavaliers front office actually protected themselves really well in the process.
Merrill will be owed an annual salary of $9.5 million over the four years of his contract. That deal will start at around $8.5 million, and increase over the following seasons. If the Cavaliers need to pull the plug on his time in Cleveland, it should not be particularly difficult to do so.