Darius Garland is all in on re-signing Collin Sexton and so are the Cleveland Cavaliers
By Chad Porto
Collin Sexton has real support from Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers need some help offensively and one of those targets is in fact Collin Sexton, their current shooting guard. Sexton, who hurt his knee this season, is on an expiring deal and will hit free agency if a new one isn’t agreed to. He’ll be a restricted free agent, so the Cavs have the right to match any offer he gets, but I’m sure they’d rather have something place beforehand, so there isn’t a bidding war for Sexton.
The Cavs want Sexton back. Sexton has expressed a desire to come back. While he isn’t the defensive player that other guys on the team are, he’s a good enough offensive player to help things out, especially as a 25+ minute guy off the bench next to Kevin Love. Putting him in the starting lineup would work too but he may have more creative freedom on the second unit.
Evan Dammarell wrote that Sexton is a priority, saying;
"Sources also say that a top priority is to sign Collin Sexton to an extension as well to further bolster support around Garland."
For his part, Sexton has earned the love of the team and its players, namely Darius Garland, the offensive catalyst. Garland told GQSports that he wants Sexton in Cleveland;
"I hope Collin stays around. I really like playing with him. He’s super cool off the court and we have a lot of similarities: we both like shoes and clothes and we love the game of basketball. He was like my big brother coming into the league. So, hopefully, Collin sticks around. Hopefully we get more some more years to play with each other and make some playoff appearances."
Collin Sexton isn’t a perfect fit for the Cavaliers but Cleveland can’t afford to be picky
Sexton isn’t someone that I look at as a natural fit in what the Cavs want and need to do in 2022-2023. He’s not a three-point shooter, he doesn’t play defense and there’s a good chance he’s lost something on his movement with his knee injury.
That said, he’s good enough to invest in even if he has issues as a fit. Even though he’s not perfect, defensively he tries. He’s not good at it, but he tries. That’s more than guys like James Harden do. He’s shown a desire to try to shoot more three-pointers, and he’s got good court vision. We’d like to see him pass more, and that may happen, but prior to the injury, he took a lot of shots.
He no longer needs to. Not with Jarrett Allen, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love, Garland, and maybe even Ricky Rubio (should he come back) on the team. Sexton isn’t a guy to just thumb your nose at and go “we can find better”.
There is better in the league, but the question becomes, how likely are you to get that “better” player?
The Cavs have little movement financially, and making a splash in free agency isn’t likely. A trade is your best bet, but what do you target? A wing makes sense, but a wing, that stretches the court and fits in with Garland is a priority.
There are few that make real sense, which is why focusing on what you can control, such as who you retain, is the biggest focus. Or should be. Keeping Sexton doesn’t mean he’s the best player in the league and maybe you over-pay for him. Yet, the biggest issue the Cavs had at the end of the year was scoring points and that’s the one thing Sexton does well.
That makes him a viable commodity in my book, and one you don’t just let leave.