3 reasons the Cavs offered Collin Sexton a small contract

3 reasons Cavs offered Collin Sexton a small deal: Cavs hold the leverage

In any negotiation, from an athlete’s contract to a hostage situation, you have to analyze which parties have the leverage. In the case of Collin Sexton and the Cavs, the team holds nearly all of it, which could make for a difficult situation for Sexton.

The market for Sexton has dissipated, if not outright disappeared. Only two teams have enough cap space to offer him a deal more than the Cavs’ $13.33 million per season: the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. Both teams are flush with guards and truly don’t have much of a spot for Sexton, whatever the price. Other teams without cap space could try to work out a sign-and-trade for Sexton, but Cleveland has little reason to play ball with a team who can’t sign him without their help.

Sexton is coming off a knee injury that could slow his play to start the season. He has been eclipsed significantly in the Cavs’ plans, especially by the rise of All-Star Darius Garland. They have other options at shooting-guard. They’re holding the cards.

Sexton could threaten to sign his qualifying offer and hit unrestricted free agency next summer, but that’s an outcome the Cavs would likely be fine with too as they evaluate his fit with the team. Sometimes players hit free agency with the leverage, but all too often restricted free agents instead find themselves squeezed with little recourse.

Will it change? Probably not; barring a blockbuster trade shaking free some space for him, it’s unlikely another team will sign him to an offer sheet. Sexton’s one hope here is that the Pacers or Spurs decide to do Rich Paul, Sexton’s agent, a favor and sign him to a slightly higher contract the Cavs are likely to match.