Collin Sexton is done for the year. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to a surprisingly good start this season, but they will have to keep that going without one of their key players.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, guard Collin Sexton underwent surgery to repair his left meniscus tear and will not return this season.

This is an especially brutal blow for Sexton. The guard is due to become a restricted free agent after the season, and in retrospect, he likely overplayed his hand in contract talks with the Cavaliers. Sexton had probably been counting on a strong season to put himself in position for a big payday, either from Cleveland or elsewhere. Now that won’t happen.

The 22-year-old Sexton had been Cleveland’s leading scorer before he went down, and he averaged 24.3 points per game last season. The Cavaliers are just 2-4 since he got hurt, but they’ve also been without other key players during that period.

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