Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton has recently been inserted into off-season trade rumors. The Cavs guard is eligible for an extension this off-season, adding to the speculation that the Cavaliers will field offers for their scoring guard.
Sexton was the 8th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He has increased his scoring in each of his three NBA seasons so far. This year he averaged 24.3 points per game, which led the Cavaliers.
The Cavs came away with the third overall selection in the NBA Draft lottery. They may have their choice between guards Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs. That likely plays a big role in their willingness to listen to offers. So, who stands out in terms of possible trade destinations for the young scoring guard?
Check out our NBA Draft Scouting Reports on Green, Suggs and others!
Potential Collin Sexton Trade Destination: Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic finally bought into fully rebuilding things at the 2021 NBA trade deadline. They sent out Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, with other veterans, for draft assets and young players with upside.
Sexton is still just 22 years old. He would continue developing in the coming seasons alongside the young Magic roster. Additionally, the Magic are in need of a scorer. That is easily Sexton’s greatest strength right now.
He would add a lot of balance to their roster ahead of them picking fifth and eighth in the NBA Draft thanks to a big night for the franchise in the Draft lottery. The Magic could look to build a trade offer around some combination of solid young players and decent future draft assets, though may not have enough to tempt the Cavs.
Another option could be offering to take Kevin Love back along with his $28,942,830 salary for the 2022-23 season. If the Cavs are interested in moving Sexton due to financial concerns it would make sense that they would love to move on from Love, as well.
Potential Collin Sexton Trade Destination: New York Knicks
The New York Knicks took a big step forward in their first year under head coach Tom Thibodeau. They made the playoffs but were quickly eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks. Now, they will look to improve around the 2021 Most Improved Player Award winner Julius Randle.
Sexton would compliment not just Randle but RJ Barrett very well on the offensive end. He isn’t a traditional point guard that is going to do the majority of playmaking for his team. That’s fine if he is playing around a group that has multiple playmakers on the court. Randle and Barrett are both good at creating opportunities for teammates.
Inserting Sexton with them would be a great fit. It also fills a potential area of need as the Knicks have several point guards set to test free agency. Offering a trade for Sexton built around a player like Kevin Knox or Obi Toppin would make a lot of sense. The Knicks also have extra draft picks and upcoming financial flexibility to assist in creating a deal.
Potential Collin Sexton Trade Destination: San Antonio Spurs
With DeMar DeRozan set to test free agency in the offseason, the San Antonio Spurs could find themselves in need of a scorer. Sexton would create a very well-balanced young starting backcourt for the Spurs next to Dejounte Murray.
They would suddenly look a lot better both short-term and long-term. Their significant financial flexibility would also take away most concerns about Sexton’s impending contract extension talks.
Pulling off this trade would give the Spurs a much better roster in terms of the modern NBA than they had last season. It would also see them go from a featured scorer in DeRozan that is 31 years old to a featured scorer in Sexton that is 22 years old.
Long Shot Collin Sexton Trade Destination: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are certainly a long shot but can’t be fully ruled out. First off is their need for a scorer alongside the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If Dennis Schroder is not going to be retained moving forward, there is a massive hole to be filled. Sexton would instantly fill that hole.
The Lakers lack trade assets, though. It would depend on the price tag the Cavs are demanding for Sexton to determine if the Lakers can even make a deal they’d consider.
A sign and trade including Talen Horton-Tucker and other light pieces may be enough to at least get talks going. Forward Kyle Kuzma is another player the Lakers might dangle in off-season trade talks in hopes of adding better support pieces next to James and Davis.
Kuz and THT could be the core of an offer that goes directly to the Cavs. Or, a third-team could get involved. Once again, this depends on the Cavs’ priorities. They could get those two players and have them both on good value deals moving forward.
Long Shot Collin Sexton Trade Destination: Dallas Mavericks
Another long-shot trade destination for Sexton is the Mavericks. They are even harder to craft a respectable offer for than the Lakers but must be included here.
The reason they must be included is because of recent comments made by team owner Mark Cuban regarding the Mavs’ need for a ‘second scorer’. If that is the primary goal to get Luka Doncic the help needed right now and moving forward, targeting Sexton would make a ton of sense.
Sexton can play off Doncic as well as relieve him of some of the heavy work he does both scoring and creating looks for others. They would have to be creative in building a trade offer, for sure. Still, it would make sense for them to do everything in their power to build that offer.
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