Pros, cons of BR’s Sexton trade idea for Cavs and Mavericks

Pros of BR’s Sexton trade idea for Cavs and Mavericks

The glaring weakness on the Cavaliers’ roster is at the small forward position. They have All-Stars at the two poles (Darius Garland at point guard and Jarrett Allen at center) and Evan Mobley is a budding star at the 4. Their options at shooting guard are deep, from Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro to rookie Ochai Agbaji and the option of playing Ricky Rubio alongside Garland in the backcourt. This of course doesn’t even factor in Collin Sexton.

The hole is at the 3, where the Cavs will play a number of 2s and 4s in lieu of a true 3-and-D option to fill that spot. Trading Sexton in a sign-and-trade deal to the Dallas Mavericks for Reggie Bullock would immediately give them a starter at the 3. Bullock is 6’7″ and played 65 percent of his time at the 3 according to Cleaning the Glass; most of his time as the “4” was paired with the similarly-sized Dorian Finney-Smith so you can add together his time as a “forward” at 89 percent.

Bullock is a tough defender and knockdown shooter. Last year his 3-pointer was a bit cold to start the season, but he still shot 36 percent on a high number of attempts and is a career 38.5 percent shooter from deep. Defensively he has the size to take on all of the different wing archetypes, from faster 2-guards to large combo forwards. While he doesn’t have the scoring verve of a player like Sexton, he’s a much better fit for what this roster needs.

The Cavs would not only be adding Bullock but also Dwight Powell, who is a pick-and-roll big with a bit of floor-spacing to his game. Defensively he is nowhere near the level of Allen but he is certainly valuable to have for the year to add depth, or to reroute to another team with more of a need for a minor asset. Add in a pick, and the Cavs would be getting solid value for Sexton given his restricted free agent status.