CLEVELAND — Entering his fourth season in the NBA, Collin Sexton is eligible to receive a contract extension this summer. But rather than signing their leading scorer to a new deal, it appears the Cleveland Cavaliers may look to trade him.
According to Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, the Cavs have begun to explore their trade options involving the 22-year-old Sexton. Per Woo, the primary impetus behind Cleveland potentially trading the Alabama product is the Cavs' concern about signing him to a high-value contract in the upcoming offseason.
"There’s belief around the league that Cleveland prefers to move on from Sexton, rather than sign him to a deal that would greatly inhibit their flexibility moving forward," Woo wrote, citing league sources.
The Cavs' flexibility only increased earlier this week when Cleveland landed the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. Of the players the Cavs will likely find themselves selecting from, Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs are both guards who could make Sexton expendable in Cleveland's lineup.
As for what kind of return the Cavs might receive for Sexton, that remains unclear. Appearing in 60 games for Cleveland last season, Sexton, who the Cavs selected with the No. 8 pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged a team-high 24.3 points on 47.5 percent shooting to go along with 4.4 assists.
Speaking to reporters following the end of Cleveland's season last month, Cavs general manager Koby Altman expressed interest in signing Sexton to a long-term deal, but also noted that there wasn't necessarily urgency to do so.
"I wouldn't want to go too deep into that," Altman answered when asked if he'd be comfortable with Sexton heading into next season without a new deal. "We'll talk to obviously his representation when the time is right. We have a lot of time for that. That's not something that has to happen right away. We have until the start of the next year to do something. Plenty of time to discuss that and we'll get back to you on that one."