Collin Sexton is a better fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers than Dejounte Murray would have been

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be better off with Collin Sexton and not Dejounte Murray.

I’m a pro sports fan. I love it. I love talent. I love watching guys go full-go. It’s incredible what is possible. So when I tell you my love of sports expands past Lake Erie (the spookiest of all the Great Lakes), no one should be surprised. The San Antonio Spurs were always one of my favorite non-Cleveland teams to watch for decades. So believe me when I tell you, I like Dejounte Murray. I like him a whole lot. I just don’t like his fit with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I firmly believe that Collin Sexton is the better fit for the Cavs going forward.

So when Murray got traded to the Atlanta Hawks this week, and people all over the internet started bemoaning the Cavs for not getting in on the trade, I had to stop and realize that many people don’t get that not every player fits on every team. Yes, Murray’s defense makes him a very attractive piece to the Cavs.

That’s all that he brings to the Cavs, however. A lot of what made Murray successful in San Antonio was being the first and sometimes the only option that the Spurs had. The Cavs are not hurting for mid-range shooters or guys who can score inside. That’s what Murray brings to the table and it’s not something the Cavs are lacking.

Murray is an abhorrent three-point shooter and that isn’t going to change any time soon. Since that’s the one area the Cavs need to be better in (22nd in attempts in 2021-2022), getting a guy like Murray wouldn’t have helped things. Though, to play Devil’s advocate, if a trade surrounded Isaac Okoro for Murray, sure. Make that deal.

But every deal the Cavs were fantasy pitched to do involved Sexton or Kevin Love. That’s a hard no on both those moves.

What Sexton brings to the table is in a lot of ways what Murray does offensively, but with a better perimeter shot. The big difference is expectation and fit. Sexton is a guy who you can trust to play off Garland, as you’ve seen it before, and he can be the primary guy off the bench to run the offense if need be. You’re not trading three first-round picks for Murray to be the sixth man.

You don’t need to trade three first-round picks for Sexton. Yes, Murray is a better defender and better passer, but Sexton is a better scorer. The Cavs need shot-creating scorers. That’s what Sexton is.

Trading three first-round picks for Dejounte Murray was just a silly decision

Murray isn’t the All-Star that people think he is. He’s far more likely to be Jrue Holliday, a good NBA starter than he is a Kwahi Leonard. I wouldn’t give up three picks for Holiday, and I wouldn’t give up three picks for Murray.

Fans can get all bunched up about the idea of why the Cavs would save their picks, but it makes sense. The picks are too valuable to give it up to a soon-to-be 26-year-old who needs the ball in his hands to be effective on offense.

Keep in mind, that he was the 29th pick in the NBA Draft not that long ago, why give up the potential to draft a guy like Murray just so you can over-pay him to play off-ball and not shoot threes well?

Now, if Darius Garland isn’t a thing, or if he was as bad in 2021-2022 as he was as a rookie, then yes, make the trade. But to spend that type of capital on an off-ball shooter who can’t shoot? No thanks.