Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton has been a key player mentioned in trade rumors as of late, and is reportedly “very available” via trade, per Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (subscription required).
The Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, per a report from Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and the Locked On Cavs podcast have/had been said to be teams that have expressed interest in Sexton, to that point. The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Sexton, too.
To follow that up involving more Cavs rumors, per a Tuesday report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Knicks are the team that is said to be the “most aggressive” in the pursuit of Sexton via trade. New York, as noted, has been a team that’s been linked to Sexton.
As far as a potential trade involving the Cavaliers’ talented three-level scorer with the Knicks, though, that’s a different story. We previously touched on why possible suggested deals with the Heat, even while Tyler Herro could be a decent part of a return, I wouldn’t be enamored with, and that a Knicks deal would not be wise.
This reported potential deal, to look back on the prior piece mentioned, came via Dammarell also, and boy, what a return this would be for Sexton!
A package that would include Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox, and one of New York’s 2021 first rounders appears to be an option for Collin Sexton after reaching out to a source. https://t.co/n4czhlMTGg
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) July 13, 2021
Cavs rumors related to the above possible return for Sexton do not have me thrilled about that possibility.
Now that’s just a potential option for a Sexton deal, or at least that’s a rumored hypothetical, but Obi Toppin and Kevin Knox are not players the Cavs should value as part of a return, for one.
Toppin is already 23, and while he was a possible target for Cleveland during the 2020 NBA Draft and did show flashes this season, he did not get much experience with New York in Year 1. And though the rumors will be there it seems, Kevin Love still could very well at least start next season on the Cavs, and I’d imagine could be with them for a chunk of next season, even.
Larry Nance Jr., seemingly Dean Wade and/or Evan Mobley will factor into the mix at the 4, and/or Taurean Prince, or perhaps Lamar Stevens.
Point being, even with possible moves, Toppin did not show much last season, appearing in 11.0 minutes per game, averaging 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds. If I’m the Cavaliers, while I’d get the rookie contract/salary matching element, Toppin’s a ways away from being a viable contributor for you game-to-game.
In regards to Knox, in this rumored scenario, while he has shown flashes as a shooter, and hit 39.3 percent from three-point range last season, and hit 34.3 percent as a rookie from there on real volume, Knox, like Toppin, is far from an impact player right now. Knox is still young, and is not quite 22 yet, but it’s unrealistic to even think he’d be extended a qualifying offer next offseason, given his regression.
RJ Barrett and others have cut into Knox’s impact/shooting opportunities some, albeit with Cleveland, it’s difficult to foresee a role for him, anyhow, and nobody is confusing him or Toppin for quality defenders at this point. That’s even with their size (Toppin is 6-foot-10 and Knox is 6-foot-7) and length, and them in a good situation in that way last season with the Knicks.
So from there, in relation to say, New York’s first first-round pick, that’s 19th overall. And even while 2021 NBA Draft prospects such as Cameron Thomas, Trey Murphy III or Ayo Dosunmu could be targets for Cleveland there in this sense, they still will likely have their ups and downs for a good while, and could those guys be starters early?
I’m personally very high on Thomas, but in this case, I can’t say any of those prospects could come to filling Collin’s shoes for the Cavs for a year, or a few, at least.
Plus, even in the scenario that say Cleveland lands Jalen Green at #3, this deal with New York I’d still rather them have a hard pass on, even if they were to land a big project such as Greg Brown, Kai Jones or go for a lead guard such as Miles McBride.
Point being, Cavs rumors about this potential option as a deal for Sexton with the Knicks would signal an awful move.
Even with one of New York’s first-round picks, you’d be essentially giving away Sexton, a 22-year-old efficient scorer and floor spacer on a team with currently limited shooting/scoring for two project players and a rookie that is likely going to take a while before being polished. That’d be a no from me, dog.
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And even with the aforementioned Lloyd stating in his report that he doesn’t foresee Cleveland being able to get a pick in the top half of the draft for Sexton, given the contract situation, that doesn’t mean Cleveland should just trade him just to trade him and not sign him.
To me, even with that report, though I wouldn’t be crazy in favor of it, I’d more so understand if the Cavs were to consider a deal with the Pelicans instead, for example. The Pels have reportedly had preliminary talks with Cleveland involving Sexton, per NBA reporter Landon Buford.
But to me, Cleveland should only consider that if the #10 overall pick from New Orleans were involved in a potential package, which could possibly bring a prospect such as Scottie Barnes, James Bouknight, Josh Giddey or Moses Moody back. Perhaps the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, or more so a salary matching piece such as Kira Lewis Jr. could be the other part of a package for Sexton in that case, and this more so in the case with Brandon Ingram off the table, really.
In relation to Indy, maybe the Pacers’ #13 pick and Jeremy Lamb could be an alternative for a Sexton deal? I’m not sure in regards to that.
However, the point is, if the Cavs were to want to trade Sexton that bad and/or before next season, they should absolutely not strongly consider a deal with the Knicks.
Sexton at this point I’d much rather them keep and try to work things out during next season/next offseason, and if they were to move him mid-season, particularly if they were to draft Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs, then okay.
But doing this sort of potential trade with New York that Dammarell reported would be gross mismanagement by Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and company. That’d be simply getting rid of Sexton, who is likely their best current player and is still not even 23, and likely pushing their rebuild back.
If they wouldn’t end up being able to come to an agreement on an extension next offseason/didn’t match an offer sheet, okay. This sort of trade with New York, though? That’d be awful.