The Los Angeles Lakers have been very busy early on this offseason. Sure, they are set to lose LeBron James in free agency, but they managed to sign Austin Reaves to a contract extension before he hit the open market, while also bringing new faces like Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton to town.
Of this group, the addition of Sexton, who signed a two-year, $19.2 million contract in free agency, may just be the most underrated of the bunch. For the second time in his career, though, Sexton is joining a team right as James leaves town, which led to the former first-round pick hilariously calling out the future Hall of Famer.
Collin Sexton Sends Hilarious Message to LeBron James
June 30, 2026: Lakers informed LeBron James isn’t returning July 1, 2026: Collin Sexton agreed to two-year deal with Lakers.
Collin: “He’s just leaving every time I
Sexton was selected with the No. 8 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in the 2018 NBA Draft, which seemingly put him in position to team up with James. However, James was set for free agency, paving the way for him to leave Cleveland for the second time in his career. Less than two weeks after Sexton was drafted, James signed with the Lakers in free agency.
While James has spent the past eight seasons with Los Angeles, Sexton has bounced around the league. He spent the first four years of his career with the Cavs before being picked up by the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade. After three campaigns with them, Sexton split the past season with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.
After hitting the open market, Sexton opted to sign with the Lakers, giving him another opportunity to team up with James. Just days before he did that, though, James informed L.A. that he was planning to leave the team in free agency. Some may suggest that James is simply avoiding Sexton, which led to him hilariously calling out the superstar forward.
“He’s just leaving every time I arrive, that’s what it is,” Sexton jokingly said when speaking to reporters. “One of the other coaches made the same joke yesterday. It’s cool.”
Collin Sexton Set to Help Lakers Replace LeBron James
GettyCollin Sexton hilariously called out LeBron James after signing with the Lakers in free agency
Nobody alone can replace James, but Sexton figures to help fill the void left by James in the scoring department. While Sexton has his flaws, he is a skilled three-level scorer, and he should be able to carve out a role for himself behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as a consistent source of offense off the bench.
Time is running out for Sexton to team up with James, but it seems like he is content to continue playing against him for however long he decides to remain in the league. Ideally, Los Angeles would have been able to re-sign James, but he is intent on closing out his career with a new team. So while Sexton already made his free agency decision, everyone across the league is keeping tabs on James’ status as he attempts to figure out where he will be playing his basketball next season.
Collin Sexton Calls Out LeBron James After Signing with Lakers