Cavs Guard Collin Sexton ‘Very Available’ In Trade Talks

Cavaliers guard and leading scorer Collin Sexton is “very available” in trade talks with the NBA Draft and free agency approaching, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

This is the second such report this offseason, with Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo writing last month that the Cavs have already started exploring Sexton trades.

As for a potential trade of Sexton and power forward Kevin Love to the 76ers for Ben Simmons, an opposing executive told Lloyd that the Sixers are likely to get better offers.

While Cavs general manager Koby Altman is keeping his options open, there’s no sense around the league that the Cavs are feeling desperate to force a deal centered on Sexton, sources told Hoopswire.

But one opposing GM told Hoops Wire that based on what he’s heard, Sexton will be playing “somewhere other than Cleveland well before the trade deadline.”

Lloyd added that Sexton will only be in training camp if the Cavs can’t find an offer they like.

Sexton is one of the more notable players eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, and given that he averaged 24.3 points last season, odds are he’ll seek a maximum contract.

One source told Lloyd that the Cavs should have already tried to move on from Sexton, as they have lost leverage in trade talks with his contract situation looming.

“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.

That could be an issue for the Cavs, as center Jarrett Allen is a restricted free agent and both sides are likely to pursue a multiyear deal.

Along with that, the Cavs own No. 3 overall pick in a draft heavy in talented guards. Either the G League’s Jalen Green or Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs — or both — are expected to be available when the Cavs pick. Should the Cavs select either one it very well could “expedite the process” of a Sexton trade, Woo noted.

Also, if the Cavs take Suggs or Green, they could use Sexton as a trade asset while replacing him with another talented young guard, as well as a player on rookie contract for the next several seasons.

Sexton, 22, has only missed 12 games in his entire three-year pro career, all last season. He carries career averages of 20.2 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 39 percent on 3-pointers. He is a career 83 percent shooter from the free-throw line.

He scored a career-high 42 points in a January home win over the Nets.