Sam Merrill

Samuel Hoskins Merrill (born May 15, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed “Sammy Buckets,” he was drafted with the last pick of the 2020 NBA draft and acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he won an NBA championship. He played college basketball at Utah State University (USU).

Early life and high school career
Merrill is the son of John and Jenny Merrill and has an older sister, Molli. He grew up in Bountiful, Utah and attended Bountiful High School. He became a starter as a sophomore at the midpoint in the season and averaged 6.5 points per game and 2.6 assists. As a junior, Merrill averaged 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game and was named first-team all-state by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune. He posted 15.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game as a senior and led Bountiful to a 4A state title. Merrill was recruited by Stanford and Princeton but committed to USU.

College career
Merrill went on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Nicaragua before his freshman year at USU. When he returned, head coach Stew Morrill retired and was replaced by Tim Duryea. Merrill posted 9.4 points per game as a freshman.

In his sophomore season, Merrill averaged 16.3 points per game. He was named Third-team All-Mountain West Conference (MWC). Merrill married soccer player Kanyan Ward in May 2018.

As a junior, Merrill averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 46.1 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from behind the three-point line, and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. Merrill led USU to a Mountain West tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He was named the MWC Player of the Year and tournament MVP, as well as AP Honorable Mention All-American. Merrill had a career-high 38 points on March 5, 2019, in a 100–96 overtime victory over Colorado State University (CSU). In the season opener of his senior year, Merrill had 28 points to help USU defeat Montana State 81–73. On February 11, versus CSU, Merrill eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for his career and passed Wayne Estes for third on USU’s all-time scoring list. He finished with 32 points and five assists in a 75–72 win. At the conclusion of the regular season, Merrill was named First Team All-MWC. Merrill led USU to another MWC tournament championship, securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and was named MWC tournament MVP. The tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic soon after his final game, where he scored 27 points in a 59–56 upset of San Diego State in the tournament final and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining.

Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)
On November 18, 2020, Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the final pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

On November 24, Merrill was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. He was assigned to the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League to start the G League season, making his Hustle debut on February 10, 2021. In the regular season he played in 30 games for the Bucks and started two while averaging 3.0 points and 1.0 rebound, and shot 44.7% from three, in 7.8 minutes per game. On the Bucks playoff run, Merrill appeared in 8 games, averaging 3.8 minutes and 0.6 points and rebounds per game. Merrill ended his rookie season as an NBA champion when the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Memphis Grizzlies (2021–2022)
On August 7, 2021, Merrill was traded, along with two future second-round picks, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Allen. On January 1, 2022, he was waived. Merrill averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 6 games for the Grizzlies.

Cleveland Charge (2022–2023)
On August 13, 2022, Merrill signed with the Sacramento Kings. He was waived prior to the start of the season.

On October 24, 2022, Merrill joined the Cleveland Charge training camp roster. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the G League draft two days earlier.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–present)
On March 3, 2023, Merrill signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 14, he signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers. On December 20, he scored a career-high 27 points and hit 8 three-pointers off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 124–116. On January 22, 2024, he scored 26 points, including a career-high 20 in the first half, in a 126–99 win over the Orlando Magic, helping lead Cleveland to its eighth straight win. Merrill broke the franchise record for most bench three-pointers in a season on March 27, 2024. It was his 129th three-pointer off the bench for the 2023–24 season, breaking Donyell Marshall's previous record that was set during the 2005–06 season.