What Ayton offer sheet means for Collin Sexton and the Cavs

What Ayton offer sheet means for Cavs: Collin Sexton is the best free agent left

The free agent group of 2022 was never flush with star talent, especially after many players took themselves off the market with extensions. The All-Stars that did reach free agency re-signed with their own teams; James Harden is expected to make that category a clean sweep.

With a few billion handed out over the past two weeks, nearly all of the top free agents from this year’s class are off the table. With DeAndre Ayton signing and Harden assumed, there are only three of John Hollinger’s Top 25 free agents ($$) remaining on the board: Miles Bridges and Montrezl Harrell, both with extenuating legal circumstances, and Collin Sexton.

Even those who are down on Sexton have to admit he is the best free agent left on the board that could be reasonably added by another team. It was just two years ago that he averaged 24.3 points per game on reasonable efficiency, and even coming off of a meniscus injury has a bright future ahead of him.

The Cavs don’t see Sexton as a starter, or they would have brought him back already, but the external leverage of the market’s demand could drive up his value; either for the Cavs to bring him back, or for another team to offer a sizable contract in free agency or via a sign-and-trade offer to Cleveland. In fact, Phoenix matching the offer sheet for Ayton puts one major player back on the table.