Ahead of the 2022 free agency period, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton had been cleared for basketball activities after suffering a season-ending knee injury in November. Some NBA executives believed Sexton, who entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, could sign a contract in the "$20 million-per-year range," per Charania.
Now, as the calendar approaches mid-August, Sexton is still looking for a new deal. His agent, Rich Paul, and Cleveland's front office don't appear to be on the same page in terms of their starting points on Sexton's salary, so negotiations are at a standstill.
No one doubts that Sexton has talent and potential, as he averaged 24.3 points per game during his third season in the league. There are other factors involved here, though, and they are all going against Sexton and Paul.
MORE: Is Draymond Green worth a max extension to the Warriors?
Why hasn't Collin Sexton signed new contract with Cavaliers?
Conversations between Paul and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman have not been "contentious," according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, but the two sides need to close a major "financial gap."
The Cavs have reportedly offered Sexton a deal worth approximately $40 million over three years. The average annual value on that deal would be in the $13-14 million range, far below the original expectation of $20 million.
Unfortunately for Sexton and Paul, they can't bring an offer sheet to Cleveland and force the team to match it or let Sexton walk. The Cavs don't seem interested in going into the luxury tax for a player they view as a part of their rotation rather than a franchise cornerstone, and they won't have to increase their offer as long as there are no other suitors.
It's also worth noting that there is an on-court element to these discussions. The backcourt pairing of Sexton and Darius Garland, who signed a five-year, $193 million contract extension in July after a breakout season, presents defensive issues for Cleveland. That's why multiple people within the organization view Caris LeVert as a better fit than Sexton, according to Fedor.
"[Some members of the organization] would take Caris over Collin because of the size, because of the length, because of the versatility that he can bring on the defensive end of the floor," Fedor recently told ESPN's Zach Lowe on "The Lowe Post" podcast. "And they liked what they saw with Caris and Darius together."
Fedor noted that the Cavaliers would likely begin the 2022-23 campaign with a starting lineup of Garland, LeVert, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. That would indicate Cleveland views Sexton as an off-the-bench microwave scorer rather than a starting guard, which makes sense given their reported offer.
What happens if Collin Sexton doesn't sign a new contract with the Cavaliers before the season starts?
If the Cavs and Sexton can't reach a middle ground on a deal, he could accept the $7.2 million qualifying offer for the 2022-23 season and become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. That would allow him to build up his value and show not only Cleveland, but also other teams around the league that he has put the knee injury behind him and is worth a significant investment.
It's also possible that Paul could push for a short-term contract with a player option in the final year. In that scenario, Sexton could secure at least some guaranteed money and have the ability to hit unrestricted free agency in his mid-20s.
Collin Sexton stats
2021-22 season (11 games)
- 16.0 points per game
- 3.2 rebounds per game
- 2.1 assists per game
- 0.9 steals per game
- 2.8 turnovers per game
- 28.7 minutes per game
- 45.0 percent shooting
- 24.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 74.4 percent free throw shooting
2020-21 season (60 games)
- 24.3 points per game
- 3.1 rebounds per game
- 4.4 assists per game
- 1.0 steals per game
- 2.8 turnovers per game
- 35.3 minutes per game
- 47.5 percent shooting
- 37.1 percent 3-point shooting
- 81.5 percent free throw shooting
