Former Cal Star Jaylon Tyson Signs with Cleveland Cavaliers
Jaylon Tyson, a former standout from Cal, has officially joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. Based on the NBA’s rookie salary scale, Tyson is expected to earn around $3.3 million next season.
The Cavaliers signed Tyson, their first-round draft pick and the No. 20 selection overall, to a contract on Wednesday. While the team did not disclose the terms of the deal, media reports confirm the rookie-scale salary for his first season.
Tyson is set to make his debut with the Cavaliers on Friday, July 12, in a summer-league game in Las Vegas against the Orlando Magic.
Tyson transferred to Cal from Texas Tech and declared for the NBA after just one season with the Bears. The 6-foot-6 wing, who played primarily as a point guard at Cal, averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 34.3 minutes per game.
“Honestly, I knew I had a breakout year coming,” Tyson said. “I always thought in the back of my mind that I was an NBA player. I had a lot of confidence in myself. I just knew I had to show it.”
Cal coach Mark Madsen, in an interview on 92.3 The Fan’s Ken Carman Show, expressed his belief that Tyson will make an immediate impact with the Cavaliers.
“You’re getting a great player,” said Madsen, according to Cavs Insider on the Sports Illustrated network. “Jaylon Tyson can shoot the three, do it off the dribble, and off the catch. At Cal, due to injuries and his phenomenal passing, we played him at point guard for much of the season. He excelled there but is also an excellent catch-and-shoot player off the ball.”
Tyson was the third-leading scorer in the Pac-12, with 607 points—the most by a Cal player since 2012-13. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was a top-10 finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Tyson is the first Cal player drafted by the Cavaliers since Kevin Johnson, who was chosen as the No. 7 pick in 1987.
