Cavs trade idea with Rockets swaps Sexton for veteran wing

Cavs trade idea with Rockets: Benefits for the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have a dynamic 2-guard in Jalen Green, and they have to decide who to pair him with. He’s not an elite playmaker, at least not yet, so there is some thought to pair him with a true point guard. The Rockets drafted TyTy Washington out of Kentucky to try that option out. The other is to pair him with a combo guard, as they did with former Cavalier Kevin Porter Jr., and together get enough shot creation and passing ability.

The problem is that “KPJ” can fill up a stat sheet but has some significant flaws as a player, including being one of the worst defensive players in the league. Adding Collin Sexton would be a slight hedge against that; the two players share some of the same weaknesses, but Sexton is a significantly more reliable, competitive player.

Looking at each player’s third season (2021-22 for Porter Jr., 2020-21 for Sexton as he missed most of last year due to injury) highlights some potential differences. The two shot about the same from deep, but Sexton’s finishing inside was light years better than Porter Jr. Sexton shot 50.8 percent from 2-point range compared to KPJ’s 45.6, and when you factor in that Sexton’s free-throw shooting blew Porter Jr. out of the water in both accuracy and attempts, Sexton came out with a significantly higher true-shooting percentage. In short, Sexton is the better scorer.

Should the Rockets decide they want to juice their backcourt, this would be a way to move Gordon for a really talented player potentially available at a bargain to add to their extremely young core. Sexton could be a strong veteran leader for this group in a way that Porter Jr. never will be. It’s not a slam-dunk move, but it could boost this team in the right direction.