Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 pivotal crossroads approaching

Cleveland Cavaliers’ crossroads: Collin Sexton’s future

It hasn’t been an easy career for Collin Sexton by any means. Drafted in the odd summer of 2018, when the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t yet sure of where LeBron James would be playing next season, Sexton quickly became the de facto savior of the franchise once it was clear LBJ was gone once again.

For this reason, Sexton entered the NBA with pretty high expectations for someone drafted just eighth overall. He was ridiculed throughout his entire rookie season and became everyone’s favorite scapegoat after the Cavs won just 19 games in each of his first two campaigns.

Then in year three, Young Bull made the leap. He posted career-highs of 24.3 points and 4.4 assists on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field. Sexton improved as a scorer, playmaker and showed potential as a leader, proving he’s ready to take on the challenge of carrying the offensive load each night.

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Sexton’s year-three jump didn’t quell the calls for him to be traded, however. This only emphasized his value in potential trades. His breakout season added fuel to the trade machine fire — and the Cavaliers landing the No. 3 overall pick this summer poured gasoline all over it.

The Cavs were due to address their future with Collin soon, anyways, as his rookie extension is approaching. The decision to offer Sexton the max, convince him to sign for less, or allow him to walk next summer has been looming over the front office for a while.

However, with Cleveland landing a top-three pick, they now have an easy excuse to deny Sexton the max. The only problem is, Sexton has done just about everything you could ask of a 22-year-old and he has every reason to expect the max. Do you see how this creates some issues between the two parties?

The way I see it, Collin’s future in Cleveland can go one of three ways. One scenario is Sexton makes another leap in development and becomes the unquestioned leader moving forward. On the contrary, he can humbly accept a lesser contract and either take a backseat to Darius Garland and Jalen Green — or play a more limited version of his current role as Evan Mobley enters the scene.

Of course, the last option here is trading Sexton — an idea that has been long supported by Sexton’s biggest critics. While I personally shy away from trading such a young talent, there is one deal that makes the most sense of any potential trades.

As reported by Adam Borai, the Miami Heat have shown interest in a swap involving Tyler Herro. Further details aside, flipping Sexton for a taller wing that can space the floor and provide tertiary playmaking is the most fluid way to replace Sexton while also bringing stability to the current core. A lineup featuring Garland, Herro, Isaac Okoro, Jarrett Allen and one of Mobley or Green is an enticing one — with solid size, shooting and playmaking throughout.

Whatever the Cavaliers elect to do with Sexton, it is obvious this decision is going to have a profound impact on their future.