Cleveland Cavaliers would be foolish to trade Collin Sexton

Okay, it’s time to have a talk about Collin Sexton. The discourse has reached a boiling point and it is now clear the Cleveland Cavaliers are exploring potential trades. Barring a surprise blockbuster exchange, it would be a massive mistake to complete a deal at this stage in the rebuild.

It is no surprise that the Cavaliers and Sexton are coming to a crossroads. His contract extension has been looming on the horizon for a few months now and the Cavaliers’ luck in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery has only sped up the need to make a decision. Is Sexton going to be a foundational piece of the rebuild? Or will they move on and pass the torch to Darius Garland?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly listening to offers for Collin Sexton but it would be foolish to trade him this summer.

Young Bull became the de-facto face of the franchise following LeBron James’ departure. His shaky rookie season earned him a healthy amount of doubters while his fans gradually dug deeper into their support/defense of Sexton. This tension has built each year, being fueled by Garland versus Sexton debates and hitting its pinnacle since the franchise earned an opportunity to add another top-three prospect in the upcoming draft. If ditching Sexton is the goal — Cleveland now has an excuse to do it.

And, it looks like the front office is, at the very least, considering it. Numerous reports have emerged that Cleveland is listening to offers for Sexton and some members of the media feel confident a deal will be done before the draft.

Again, it is understandable why this is happening. Sexton will rightfully be expecting a max contract extension — while the front office is simply doing their due diligence to monitor the market and consider the ramifications of giving Sexton the max and potentially limiting their cap space for the future.

With all of this being said, I think everyone involved needs to do one thing: Relax.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, and all of their fans, need to relax

There is absolutely no reason for the Cavaliers to rush a trade this summer. Likewise, the Cavs have valid reasons to feel hesitant giving Sexton a max extension at this point. Patience will be key for both sides with so much uncertainty around the current situation.

Regardless of how you felt about Sexton during his first two seasons, there is no denying he has improved in nearly every single way since he entered the NBA. He elevated his game as a scorer, expanding his range and becoming a more efficient bucket-getter both off the dribble and off-ball. In terms of playmaking, he also posted a career-high 4.4 assists and raised that number to 6.1 in the final two weeks of the season with Garland on the sideline.

A 22-year-old averaging an efficient 24 points and 4 assists on arguably the worst offensive team in basketball is nothing to scoff at. Considering Sexton doesn’t appear to have any toxic character issues — all indicators point towards him being a capable contributor on a winning team.

Therefore, the Cavaliers would be doing themselves a disservice by trading Sexton before seeing what this team looks like next season. Operating under the assumption that they select Evan Mobley with the third overall pick, an interesting dynamic will be created between the frontcourt and backcourt.

Trading Collin Sexton does not solve anything

We have seen NBA teams go small-ball, but never have we seen an undersized pairing of guards be matched by an oversized tandem of centers. The idea of playing two seven-footers at the same time as two 6’1″ players is a crazy one — yet it is one that could work in their favor. Especially, if Mobley is all he’s hyped up to be. A versatile big-man who can offer defense, playmaking, post-scoring and 3-point shooting is a match made in heaven for this Cavaliers’ team.

The defensive woes of SexLand could be totally covered up by the paint protection and versatility of an Allen/Mobley/Okoro trio. What’s more, Sexton’s role will be simplified as a scorer while Garland and Mobley share playmaking responsibilities.

However, the Cavaliers’ biggest problems will NOT be solved by trading Sexton this summer. This is a squad that recently ranked towards the bottom of the league both offensively and defensively. Trading away the team’s best scorer does not address those issues, it magnifies them.

The game plan for both parties heading into next season should be simple. Does Sexton want a max extension? Go out and silence all doubt by earning it. Do the Cleveland Cavaliers think they are better off trading Sexton? Do it at the deadline, after confirming that is the right decision during the first half of the season.

There is no stopping the franchise from reaching this critical crossroads but they certainly should not be rushing to make an official decision just yet. The only logical option is placing the ball in Sexton’s court and allowing him a chance to prove himself one more time.