Does LeBron James extension mean Collin Sexton will re-sign with Cavs?

Does LeBron extension mean Sexton will re-sign with Cavs? The cap space plan

The Cleveland Cavaliers currently have a number of players whose contracts expire at the end of this season. That includes Kevin Love and his massive $28.9 million cap hit for this year, Caris LeVert and his $18.8 million, and Dylan Windler’s four million. That puts them in line for $40 million or more in space.

That space was likely earmarked in part for the potential LeBron James return. Adding one of the greatest players of all time (some would say the greatest) to an already-established core would have boosted the Cavs into title contention immediately, even with LeBron in his late 40s. Now that option is off the table.

The Cavs can continue to protect that cap space and use it in other ways. There will be other free agents available, from Khris Middleton and Andrew Wiggins to smaller fish like Dillon Brooks and Bojan Bogdanovic. They can also use that space to take on money from other teams trying to free up space of their own.

The problem for Cleveland is that in the current league climate, cap space is less valuable than it was even three years ago. With players signing extensions before ever hitting free agency, there are fewer players available. That snowball effect means other teams don’t need to move money as often, so there are fewer avenues to taking on money.

It’s therefore possible the Cavs decide to punt on adding a major piece in free agency and instead work out contract extensions with their current players. Kevin Love and Caris LeVert could both sign extensions now to take them off of the market next summer.

Most likely, however, the Cavs will try to keep some amount of financial flexibility for next summer. That doesn’t mean they can’t up their offer to Collin Sexton, however.