Should a Collin Sexton trade still be on the table for Cavs?

This is gearing up to be an offseason for the ages for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After their first winning season in four seasons, everyone is going into next season with the same mindset: To make a playoff run.

Aside from the draft and any potential trades, the biggest talk of the summer is the seemingly looming Collin Sexton extension. Sexton is a year removed from a career-high 24.3 points per game season. Expectations were high for the Young Bull coming into this season before a torn meniscus injury derailed his season just 11 games in.

The Cavs had extension talks with Sexton last season but things stalled out before the deadline. Sexton was reportedly seeking in the range of $100 million, but Sexton’s camp was not fully set on that. The two sides couldn’t agree on years, though.

Sexton has been the heart and soul of this team since he was drafted. Prior to Darius Garland‘s rise, Collin was one of the very few bright spots on the team.

The organization has raved about the need for him all season and consistently reassured everyone that he would be a part of this team’s future.

That has to mean an extension is all but set in stone, right? Well, I surely believe so but what about the off chance that he isn’t?

After his best season, it’s telling that the team was hesitant to extend him. The Cavaliers have always moved silently in the moves that they’ve made so are they working on something behind the scenes?

An even bigger question and the reasoning for this conversation is should a Collin Sexton trade still be on the table?

Let’s discuss both sides of that conversation.

Starting with why I believe the team SHOULDN’T trade Sexton, most things speak for themselves. There were many times throughout the season when his production was needed, especially towards the end of the season.

Sexton is one of the league’s fastest players yet still possesses the ability to play at his own pace. His dribble penetration would’ve done wonders to add another dimension to this team’s offense.

Despite what the stats may say, Sexton has improved in multiple areas. The tunnel vision is minimized. The shot selection needs a little more tweaking, but there have been steady improvements. He plays well off of Garland, which we’ve seen over the last two seasons, and Garland expressed during the season how he’d “love” Sexton back.

Most importantly, Sexton is loved not only on the team but throughout the city. He’s an extremely hard worker and someone that every team would want to keep around.

His energy resonates throughout the organization and as the Cavs have always talked about, he was the originator of the core so they owe it to him in keeping him around for the team’s upcoming success.

So again, why am I even discussing a trade?

Well, there is one glaring difficulty that has to do with his pairing alongside Darius Garland.

With how great the pairing is offensively, the biggest struggle they face is their size. The two are both 6’1″, about 190-pound guards, both typical sizes for a point guard but in this case, Sexton would play shooting guard.

It’s their size concerns that see them with comparisons to the Stephen Curry-Monta Ellis backcourt or the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum backcourt, and we know how those worked out.

Looking through NBA history, small backcourts have led to championships a few times. Most recently, a Kyle Lowry-Fred VanVleet backcourt helped the Toronto Raptors secure their first NBA championship but having a superstar wing in Kawhi Leonard dropping 30 points a night kind of makes this case an outlier.

Before them, the Detroit Pistons come to mind with their backcourt of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.

The Cavs have tried to substitute for their height with the addition of Lauri Markkanen, creating this three-big lineup but I doubt this is something that works effectively in the playoffs.

The backcourt’s flaws won’t be that bad in the regular season but come playoff time, they’ll get hunted and things could turn ugly.

So, final verdict, should a Collin Sexton trade still be on the table?

As of right now, I’d say a resounding no. The Cavs have to see how Sexton will work with this new and improved team. Things could always work out for the team but I just can’t help but think an extension is extending the inevitable.

Again, I’m not asking for a Sexton trade, and am very curious to see how things shape out. The Cavaliers will have to continue to perfect the fit around their backcourt and the offensive advances of the team as well as the backline defense of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will help to minimize the defensive woes of the two.

The team could also try and convince a certain superstar in LA to make one last return to Cleveland but that’s a topic for another time.

All in all, I’m expecting Sexton to be a part of this team’s future as he will only raise their chances of making a playoff run.