After Tuesday’s practice, Collin Sexton spent time putting up shots on the perimeter, knocking down four 3s in a row in one stretch. He then moved onto a drill that featured a cone at the top of the arc, in which Sexton dribbled around the “defender” to take a 3. He was engaged in those drills, working with the coaching staff on his shots.
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Tuesday’s practice comes just one day after the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sexton failed to come to an agreement on a rookie-scale contract extension at Monday’s deadline.
“He was the same guy,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He was competing. He was doing all the things that we asked him to do that he’s always done. His personality was good, his temperament was good. How he interacted with his teammates was good. So it’s all positive, and he’s on the floor right now continuing to work. So he’s going to be him.”
Sexton heard of the Cavs’ decision from his agent, Austin Brown, and had discussions with him and his family on Monday night.
“Just disappointed,” Sexton said. “But I know they want me here. So just a little disappointed, but at the end of the day, we move on.”
With no agreement in place, Sexton will play out the final year of his rookie contract before he enters restricted free agency in the offseason. He can use the 2021-22 season as a chance to showcase his value once again to the Cavs, or another team in the league, before there comes time for a decision. Sexton’s production this season will also help determine his market value. While he is motivated to prove his worth, Sexton’s approach to the game stays the same.
“At the end of the day, I’m just coming in ready to work,” Sexton said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got one goal and that’s to win and get to the playoffs. I know I was disappointed a little bit. But that doesn’t take away from the teammates itself, so we’re going to figure it out, and we’re going to win basketball games together and have a good season.”
Bickerstaff said he had conversations with Sexton after the decision came, and he started by acknowledging the difficulty of the conversation and the situation surrounding discussions of a contract extension.
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“I think it’s important that he knows that we have empathy for him,” Bickerstaff said. “We know the pressures and the excitement that surrounds his situation. And then the way that it came to a resolution can be difficult because he wants to be here. So, we understand that first and foremost.
“Second of all, his personality won’t allow him to be anybody else. He’s going to play the way he knows how to play. And our conversation was, in order to impact change, we have to impact winning. And our play, our coaching, everything that we do has to have an impact on winning. And if you do those things, the respect you gain around the league comes. The finances come because that’s what everybody’s looking for. Everybody’s looking for people to impact winning. So that’s what our message to him has been to go out there, show us how you impact winning, and help us become a better basketball team.”
Sexton was receptive to Bickerstaff’s message, saying he understood “a little bit” why he didn’t get the extension. That next step for Sexton is to use his offensive profile and help turn it into wins for Cleveland. Sexton sees the best way for him to impact winning is to compete on both ends of the floor.
Sexton was one of seven notable players from the 2018 draft class that did not agree on an extension with their respective teams at the deadline. That list also includes DeAndre Ayton, Miles Bridges, Lonnie Walker, Donte DiVincenzo, Marvin Bagley and Mo Bamba, three of whom were also top-10 picks. Sexton was the eighth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Of that list, Ayton’s absence of a contract extension is one of the more surprising ones after his efforts to help the Suns reach the playoffs and the finals.
Others in Sexton’s class, like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. signed max extensions. Jaren Jackson Jr., Mikal Bridges, Kevin Huerter, Wendell Carter Jr., Robert Williams, Landry Shamet and Grayson Allen also received extensions.
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Bridges, the 10th pick in the 2018 draft, landed a four-year, $90 million deal. He had career-highs in shooting percentages last season, finishing with 54.3 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3. He averaged 13.5 points per game last season. Jackson was extended on a four-year, $105 million deal.
Sexton’s offensive production aligns similarly with a number of players who earned contracts, like Young and Doncic. Young averaged 25.3 points per game last season, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3. For his career, he is averaging 24.1 points on 43.1 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3. Doncic is averaging 25.7 points per game for his career on 45.7 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from behind the arc. Last season, he averaged 27.7 points per game, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35 percent from. 3.
But one of the biggest differences between Sexton and players like Young and Doncic is being able to use that offensive production to help his respective team win games. It does not fall on just one player alone, but the overarching ability to help win games plays a factor.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger evaluated a potential extension for Sexton to be four years, $64 million, similar to the deal Huerter negotiated with Atlanta which resulted in a four-year, $65 million extension. Huerter finished last season averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from 3.
“At the end of the day, my path is different from everybody else,” Sexton said. “I can never compare my path to somebody else’s. At the end of the day, I might have a little bit more bumps in the road, but I’m gonna get through it. I’m gonna push to the finish line regardless. I can’t ever compare myself to anyone else. I’m Collin Sexton, and that’s who I’m gonna be.”
Aside from others in his draft class, the Cavs have also committed money to others on the current roster, from starters to rotational players and new acquisitions. They signed Jarrett Allen during free agency this offseason to a five-year, $100 million contract. They traded for Lauri Markkanen and signed him to a four-year, $67 million contract. When Cedi Osman was in the final year of his rookie contract and up for a contract extension, he earned a four-year, $30.8 million deal.
Sexton could still earn his money next offseason, whether in Cleveland or with another team, depending on how his 2021-22 season shakes out. Atlanta forward John Collins appeared in a similar situation before last season. The Hawks and Collins did not agree on a contract extension before the deadline for the 2020-21 season. Collins went on to finish the year averaging 55.6 percent from the field, 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract to remain with the Hawks in August.
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Sexton has shown he is an elite scorer — talent which could warrant an extension or a big contract in the offseason — but Sexton’s defensive presence raises concerns. His effectiveness in defending other guards has been a factor surrounding him since he came to the league. Yet, Sexton believes he and Darius Garland as a backcourt duo have improved on the defensive end.
Sexton could enter restricted free agency, and the Cavs could look to match an offer sheet. They also could sign him to a new contract if they still see him as a part of their long-term future.
Through his first three seasons in the league, Sexton saw some of his statistical numbers increase, from his average points per game to field goal percentage, steals and assists. Yet, so did his average turnovers. His 3-point percentage trended downward over the last three seasons as his average attempts increased.
His role changed over his first three seasons, from starting as point guard during his rookie season, to shifting over to a shooting guard once Cleveland drafted Garland. The Cavs have worked to balance two primary ballhandlers in their backcourt, but the success of that backcourt has ebbed and flowed over their two seasons together, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Sexton focused his individual growth in his shot selection, picking his spots and improving his percentages. He’s also grown in his reads, noticing passes to his teammates and looks that defenses are giving him. He’s picked up on what opponents are doing to switch so he can adjust in the moment.
While Sexton was the Cavs’ leading scorer last season, averaging a career-high 24.3 points per game on 47.5 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from 3, and a top-25 scoring in the league, Sexton feels he has something to prove. But it hasn’t altered his approach to this season. He’s entered each season since coming to Cleveland with a mindset to improve and “add fuel to my fire,” but now he has something else to play for — his next contract.
“I take it as motivation,” Sexton said. “Just to continue to get better, continue to learn and continue to improve. At the end of the day, I know what my team needs from me and I know what I have to do to even take that next jump to get to the next level that I want to be at. So I’m gonna go out and just continue to play, and play my game and play hard on both ends of the court and just continue to prove and show what I can do.”
(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)