More and more, it looks like Collin Sexton may bet on himself, play this season for the $7.2 million qualifying offer in Cleveland, then become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sexton and the Cavaliers remain nowhere close to getting a deal done, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com dropped on the Wine & Gold Talk podcast. Then he threw in this tidbit — the Mavericks and Cavaliers talked about a sign-and-trade for Sexton, but no deal was reached (hat tip Hoopshype).
The Cavs have had conversations with Dallas about a sign and trade for Collin Sexton. But if you’re talking about a sign-and-trade, the Cavs need something back that is going to be valuable to them. And neither the Jazz nor the Mavericks have the pieces that the Cavs would want back in a sign and trade for Colin.
What the Cavaliers would want back is a promising young player that fits on the Darius Garland/Evan Mobley timeline. Neither the Mavericks nor Jazz have a player that really fits that mold (and teams who do aren’t likely to surrender him).
Beyond that, there are fit questions. Sexton thrived with the Cavaliers when he had the ball in his hands (before Garland emerged as the point guard of the future), but how would he do in Dallas where they are not taking the ball out of Luka Doncic’s hands? Could Sexton thrive in a Jalen Brunson-style role?
As it is now, things remain stuck. Sexton sees himself as the bucket-getter from two seasons ago who averaged 24.3 points per game for the Cavs — a guy deserving of starting guard money (around $20 million a season). The Cavaliers see Sexton as the guy who missed all but 11 games last season due to a torn meniscus that required surgery, a guy who needs to prove himself more. The Cavs didn’t have much money to spend after the Garland extension, they are about $13 million below the luxury tax, so they offered that much in a three-year, $40 million deal. Sexton and his camp see that as a lowball offer.
No team stepped up this summer with an offer sheet for Sexton that the Cavs wouldn’t match.
This brings us back to Sexton betting on himself. That seems the most logical course. Sexton could thrive again in a slightly different role in Cleveland, and if he does his payday is coming next offseason (when more teams are expected to have cap space but the free agent market is considered soft).
But for now, there seems to be no movement on the Sexton front.
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Cavaliers reportedly talked Sexton sign-and-trade with Mavericks, Jazz, but there was no deal originally appeared on NBCSports.com