Collin Sexton is out for the year; 3 questions and answers
Question: What does this mean for Sexton’s free agency?
First-round picks have the opportunity to sign an extension on their original four-year deal prior to that fourth season; in other words, they can extend the deal one year before hitting free agency. While many players in the 2018 Draft Class did agree to terms, Collin Sexton was not one of them.
That means he will hit restricted free agency next summer having not played basketball in eight months. The Cavs were unwilling to offer a max or near-max deal prior to the season, and it’s highly unlikely they will up their offer with Sexton sidelined. What should Sexton and his camp expect from this summer?
Answer: Sexton will be in less demand, but he should still have suitors
This season could have been an opportunity for Sexton to prove himself more than an empty-calories scorer, but that dream is now gone. Instead, Sexton will need to decide whether to sign a short-term contract to prove himself and get back on the market, or to ink a longer-term deal to lock in money in case of further injuries or degradation of his game.
No one is going to back up the Brinks truck for Sexton, but there will be suitors. Teams don’t have an endless supply of offensive creators, and Sexton profiles as an excellent Sixth Man option or as a scoring-focused starter at point guard for a team that gets its primary playmaking from another position.
The Cavs will be in a better position to bring him back if they wish to do so, as his value will likely be even lower than it was last fall when they were in extension discussions. They also can look to execute a sign-and-trade with another team in order to bring back an asset or a trade exception to use in replacing Sexton with another player who can bring some offensive juice.
Next. Cavs: A tough schedule ahead means the losses will pile up. dark
Collin Sexton has been one of the key faces of Cavs basketball for the past few seasons, and it’s possible he has played his last game in a Cleveland uniform — a jarring reality that came upon the team and its fanbase suddenly. Hopefully, he can return healthy from this injury, whether on the Cavs or somewhere else.