The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to a surprisingly good start this season, but they will have to keep that going without one of their key players.
According to multiple reports, guard Collin Sexton underwent surgery to repair his left meniscus tear and will not return this season.
This is an especially brutal blow for Sexton. The guard is due to become a restricted free agent after the season, and in retrospect, he likely overplayed his hand in contract talks with the Cavaliers. Sexton had probably been counting on a strong season to put himself in position for a big payday, either from Cleveland or elsewhere. Now that won’t happen.
The 22-year-old Sexton had been Cleveland’s leading scorer before he went down, and averaged 24.3 points per game last season. The Cavaliers are just 2-4 since he got hurt, though they’ve also been without other key players during that period.
Photo: Jan 4, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) passes the ball during pregame against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the big surprises this season, but their strong start may be hitting a speed bump.
The Cavs announced on Monday that Collin Sexton has a torn meniscus in his knee. They do not have an immediate timetable regarding his return.
Cleveland.com reported that Sexton bumped knees with teammate Jarrett Allen during the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the Knicks and felt discomfort.
Sexton exited the game and did not return. He was replaced by Ricky Rubio who scored a career-high 37 points.
Sexton is averaging 16.0 points 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season. The Cavs are 7-4 this season.
Photo: Jan 4, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) passes the ball during pregame against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
One Cleveland Cavaliers player apparently wanted a Sexton of money from the team.
Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reported this week that Cavs guard Collin Sexton’s camp asked for an extension comparable to that of fellow 2018 draftees De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray. Cleveland was not interested in anything close to that though and instead wanted to see how Sexton would fit next to rookie big man Evan Mobley first.
Fox (five years, $163 million) and Murray (five years, $170 million) both got max contract extensions from their respective teams. But both players have complete skillsets at the guard position, and the latter already helped lead his team to the conference finals. Sexton is on par with those guys as a scorer but still has limitations as a playmaker and as a defender.
Lloyd also says that the Cavs were hesitant to do anything lofty with Sexton since Darius Garland is also due for an extension next summer and Jarrett Allen is already on the books for $100 million. The 22-year-old Sexton will now be a restricted free agent after the season since he could not agree to an extension with the team.
There have also been concerns about Sexton’s rapport with his teammates, so it is worth wondering how much the Cavs see him as part of their future.
Photo: Jan 4, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) passes the ball during pregame against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
One ex-Cleveland Cavaliers player is going Tupac “Hit ‘Em Up” mode in response to an unflattering claim about former teammate Collin Sexton.
Sports Illustrated ran a quote from an anonymous scout in a preview of the Cavs this week. The scout took aim at Sexton, calling him an “a–hole” and saying that “none of his teammates like him.”
Portland Trail Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr. responded to the claim in a tweet on Friday and did not hold back.
“Whoever said this is a moron with zero knowledge of anything going on in Cleveland,” Nance wrote. “I’d hide behind anonymity too if I was this bad at my job.”
The former lottery pick Sexton was the Cavs’ leading scorer and highest-usage player last season. He was teammates for the last three seasons with Nance, who was traded to the Blazers as part of the Lauri Markkanen deal.
There were reports last season that Sexton was unliked within the Cavs. But Nance, though he is not in Cleveland any longer, obviously seems to be of the exact opposite opinion.
The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have had one of the NBA’s biggest rivalries of the last decade. This offseason could see the two sides link up on a major trade however.
Cavs writer Evan Dammarell reported this week that the Warriors are intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Cleveland guard Collin Sexton. Dammarell does add though that Golden State would not include James Wiseman, Andrew Wiggins, or the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft in such a deal.
The Warriors still have young assets to offer like Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, and Juan Toscano-Anderson as well as the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft. But they may have to do better to land Sexton, who was one of the top-20 scorers in the league this season with 24.3 points per game.
Sexton, 22, will be entering the final year of his rookie contract next season. The Cavs do seem very willing to move him, perhaps in a package deal that could pique Golden State’s interest.
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be open to trading Collin Sexton this offseason, and it should come as no surprise that the New York Knicks are reportedly among the potential suitors.
The New York Knicks have been the “most aggressive” of the teams pursuing Sexton, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
There are said to be as many as six teams interested in Sexton, but it makes sense that the Knicks are at or near the top of the list. The Knicks had a huge turnaround in their first year under Tom Thibodeau, and it is not a secret that they are looking to add a star player this offseason. They are also weak at the point guard position.
Sexton averaged 24.3 points per game in his third season with the Cavs. The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the top scorers in the NBA, which is why there is plenty of interest in him around the league.
Sexton has one year left on his rookie contract, and Cleveland may not want to make a massive financial commitment to extend him. There has been talk that they could try to package him with another star player to create maximum flexibility going forward.
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear willing to listen to offers for guard Collin Sexton, and several teams may be prepared to do what it takes to land the young scorer.
According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, the Heat, Knicks, Lakers, Pelicans, Pacers, and Thunder are among the teams considering making a run at Sexton. Talks are said to be in the “exploratory stage,” and no real offers have been made yet.
Amico adds that several of these teams would be willing to take on Kevin Love’s contract in order to facilitate a Sexton trade. This is something Cleveland may look to do if it decides to move Sexton, as the 32-year-old has two years and $60.2 million remaining on a deal that has become quite cumbersome for the rebuilding Cavaliers.
The 22-year-old Sexton is clearly available. He averaged 24.3 points per game last season, but there remain questions about whether he can coexist with Darius Garland. The Cavaliers also hold the No. 3 overall pick, and with a potential max extension looming for Sexton, trading him may be the team’s preference.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers finally want to close the book on the Kevin Love era, they may have to attach one of their top young assets to make it happen.
Cavs beat writer Jason Lloyd of The Athletic wrote this weekend that it might make sense for Cleveland to package Love and Collin Sexton together in a trade this offseason. Lloyd notes that the 22-year-old Sexton is “very available.”
Love, 32, is already drawing some interest as a potential buyout candidate. But he still has two years and $60.2 million left on his contract, making a buyout more cumbersome. As for Sexton, we recently heard that the Cavs are shopping him. His value may be at a peak after he averaged a team-high 24.3 points per game this season. Cleveland also holds the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, putting them in the mix for a dynamic guard like Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs.
It would be pretty funny though for Love to finally leave Cleveland and still be teammates with Sexton. After all, the two have not always gotten along.
Collin Sexton was a top-10 pick in the 2018 draft, but he may not stick around in Cleveland much longer.
Jeremy Woo published a column on Thursday full of NBA Draft notes. As part of his column, Woo said that the Cavaliers are shopping Sexton. He says the team has begun to explore trade talks involving the 22-year-old guard.
Part of the reason for the trade talks is the Cavs don’t want to make the large financial commitment to Sexton that they believe would be necessary to keep him.
This report should not come as a big surprise. There has been chatter for some time that the Cavs were shopping Sexton.
Since his rookie season, there has been talk about Sexton needing to be treated specially. A recent report even said Cavs coaches were ordered to praise Sexton as a rookie.
Despite the unflattering reports, there would be interest in Sexton as a trade candidate. He has increased his scoring in each season and averaged 24.3 points per game this season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a talented young core they’re trying to build around, but questions about whether they can coexist and whether the team can afford to keep all of them continue to loom.
Much of the talk surrounds third-year guard Collin Sexton, the team’s leading scorer in 2020-21. However, two figures within the NBA told Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that they believe the Cavaliers should consider trading Sexton.
There are a couple reasons why Sexton would make sense as a trade candidate. The expectation is that Sexton will eventually seek a max contract, and that may be impossible for the Cavaliers to accommodate if they sign restricted free agent Jarrett Allen long-term while also keeping Kevin Love’s hefty deal on the books.
There have also been longstanding concerns over whether Sexton, a ball-dominant guard, can coexist with point guard Darius Garland, who made significant strides this season. Pluto’s two sources liked the idea of a backcourt consisting of Garland and Isaac Okoro, Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2020 who is both stronger than Sexton defensively and less reliant on needing the ball.
Sexton trade rumors aren’t new, but the time is coming for a decision to be made. Sexton will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2022, and will almost certainly demand a big salary increase. Add in the fact that Sexton doesn’t seem to be fitting in with his teammates, and a trade may be the smart move for the organization’s long-term future.
