Proposed Trade Lands Warriors Elite Guard, Former Top-10 Pick

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly “intrigued” by a young, upstart guard still playing on his rookie contract, but there are several reasons the team may remain hesitant to pull the trigger on a potential deal.

Evan Dammarell, a Cleveland sports personality with WKYC Sports, first reported the Warriors’ interest in Collin Sexton on Sunday, July 18.

“The Golden State Warriors are intrigued with acquiring Collin Sexton, but it would not net the Cleveland Cavaliers someone like James Wiseman or the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft, per sources,” Dammarell tweeted. “The upcoming extension and his overall fit make teams hesitant to acquire (Sexton).”

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Sexton Has Displayed Elite Offensive Potential Early in Career

A quick glance at Sexton’s production through three NBA seasons shows a lot to like.

The 6-foot-1 combo guard was drafted eighth by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. He was a 20.8-points-per-game scorer by his sophomore season and put up 24.3 points last year — a tally that slotted him 22nd in the league in scoring.

As a career 38.5% shooter from the 3-point line and playing next season at only 23 years old, Sexton’s upside is as an elite NBA scorer from the backcourt, even if he is undersized.

Playing some point guard, Sexton is also capable of running an offense and taking care of the ball. He averaged 4.4 assists last season and 3.4 assists in his career.

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Sexton to the Warriors: Does it Make Sense?

As always, the question of whether a move to bring Sexton to the Bay Area makes sense is contingent on two factors — basketball fit and finances.

The Warriors already have a loaded backcourt, meaning fewer shots for Sexton, which is where he provides his greatest value. However, serious discussions continue to swirl around a potential Golden State trade with the Portland Trailblazers for All-Star guard Damian Lillard. The Warriors are an inherently unselfish team, and have proven in the past with the addition of Kevin Durant that too much of a good thing on offense is never actually a bad thing.

The basketball fit could theoretically work, as Sexton can play both on and off the ball, shoots well enough from deep not to disrupt the Warriors’ offensive spacing, and provides depth to a backcourt that has been without Klay Thompson for two years due to injury.

A more pressing concern involving a Sexton trade is the extension he will be up for at some point over the next season. Based on the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, a maxed-out contract for Sexton would pay him $168 million over a five-year span, beginning in 2022-23. Sexton is slated to make $6.3 million next year.

Because of Sexton’s relatively low current salary, the Cavaliers have been trying to package him with forward Kevin Love, who has two years and $60 million on his contract.

The Warriors are already trying to navigate the highest payroll in the league and a massive luxury tax bill because of that payroll. They will be wrestling with an extension for Stephen Curry this offseason, too. Matching Sexton’s salary alone in a trade would not be difficult, but absorbing Love would be.

However, Golden State owes forward Andrew Wiggins a little more than $30 million per season over the next two years. Throwing one more minor contract into the deal could make the money side of things work for at least two seasons without adding to the Warriors’ luxury tax woes, though the Sexton contract would eventually bring a financial reckoning.

The massive amount of money Sexton could command is also potentially a reason the Cavs might consider trading a young asset with so much potential, as they haven’t constructed a team around him talented enough to even approach a playoff berth during Sexton’s three years in Cleveland.

Ultimately, the kicker in all of this is what the Warriors would be willing to send the Cavs way in terms of assets. According to Dammarell, Golden State would not be willing to part with either of its two top assets — big man James Wiseman or the No. 7 pick in this month’s NBA Draft.

The Warriors likely believe they can package both assets, along with others and the Wiggins contract, to make a push for a bigger star like Lillard, Ben Simmons or Bradley Beal, all of whom are either rumored or confirmed to be available this offseason.

And the Cavs aren’t going to give up a young guard in Sexton with future All-Star potential for nothing, even if they have no intention of paying him the kind of contract he’s likely to earn when the time comes.

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