Trading Collin Sexton only makes sense if he can’t be signed

If the Cleveland Cavaliers can sign Collin Sexton, they should.

I wrote recently that the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Donovan Mitchell would make sense, to a degree, especially if it included Collin Sexton. What was kind of missed there, was that it made sense only if, the Cavs didn’t want to meet Sexton’s figure. I think Mitchell is a better overall player than Sexton, but not by such a degree that the Cavs need to upgrade. Some fans think the upgrade is the same as going from Jacoby Brissett to Deshaun Watson.

It’s not. It’s more like going from David Carr to Josh Allen. An upgrade, sure, but is it as much of one you need to blow up your roster to get better? No, no it’s not. I like Sexton and Sexton fits well in the Cavs. Especially if the Cavs move on from Caris LeVert, as the two are largely the same player, offensively speaking.

The only reason Sexton should be moved is if the Cavs don’t like the numbers Sexton’s camp is putting out there for a new contract. I know what I’d pay for Sexton, but that doesn’t mean the Cavs agree with me. If they think Sexton is worth $20-25 million, fine. Not my money. Yet, regardless of what they see his value as, if they can’t come to a deal, then it’s time to move him before they lose him for nothing.

Good news, it sounds like the Cleveland Cavaliers may re-sign Collin Sexton…

…It might just take until the regular season for that to happen. Sexton is currently under the NBA’s version of the Franchise Tag, only in the NBA it’s called a “qualifying offer”. This basically means that the Cavs will pay him a specific percentage for 2022 if no other team offers Sexton a contract.

If a team offers Sexon a contract, the Cavs have first right of refusal and can either match the deal and bring him back or decline the deal and let him leave to go to the new team. So if no team offers Sexton a deal, the offer that was given to Sexton to keep him a restricted free agent, would then go into effect. It’s only for one year but allows the Cavs to negotiate with Sexton as the season continues.

This may be what happens, according to Shams Charania (via WKYC), as he believes that Sexton and the Cavs may have to go into the regular season before a deal is done. That says a few things, firstly that no one has offered Sexton a contract yet. Secondly, it also says that no one is intending on offering Sexton a deal. Lastly, it says that people are skeptical of his talents after his injury last season, and everyone, the Cavs included, is in a wait-and-see scenario.

That said, it seems as if it’s Sexton, not the Cavs, who are delaying the signing. According to Chris Fedor on the Whine and Gold podcast (via RealGM), the Cavs have a 3-year, $40 million offer on the table for Sexton.

That breaks down to about $13 million a year, about $10 million less than what Sexton was hoping for. If the two sides go into the season without a new deal, Sexton will end up playing a risky game. Either he A) plays well and is given a much larger contract by someone during or after the season, or B) he struggles, and the Cavs rescind the contract entirely.

So this is where things are at the moment. He either does the smart play and takes the contract, or he gambles on himself to try and get a bigger deal. Clearly, the NBA as a whole is concerned about his recovery and ability to bounce back; and that may be all the convincing one needs to lock that deal down.

$40 million is still life-changing money.