Getty Lakers potential trade target Collin Sexton
In the wake of LeBron James signing a two-year max contract with the Lakers this week, effectively locking up the Lakers’ roster and ability to sign players in free agency, flexibility is now at a premium in L.A. Finding a way to reclaim some—the team needs roster space and financial savings—while also adding talent is the challenge for GM Rob Pelinka.
There could be a way to do it by returning to a trade partner with which the Lakers are familiar—the Utah Jazz, who could absorb some salary from the Lakers, and could potentially send talent, too. The cost, though, would be one of the two first-round picks the Lakers have been reluctant to include in trades, in 2029 and 2031.
It’s possible for the Lakers to save money, and move along the contracts of, say, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt in a deal with the Jazz that would add a player who the folks at Bleacher Report suggest could help fix the Lakers’ always-dodgy point guard situation. In a video titled, “Sexton a Perfect Fit for Lakers,” B/R pitches—you guessed it—Collin Sexton to the Lakers.
Lakers Still in Need of Talent, Financial Flexibility
Here’s how B/R outlined the benefits of Sexton as a Laker.
“I think Collin Sexton should be available. They just drafted (Isaiah) Collier and Collier is a similar player to Sexton, he’s also younger. And Sexton has quietly become one of the most underrated players in the league, after a strong breakout year, averaged over 20 (points per game), he got hurt and people kind of forgot about him.
“The Lakers have zero guards on the roster that can get to the rim, create penetration, make the defense rotate and get people open. Sexton can get downhill. And I get it, nobody watched the Jazz last year. But Sexton is good. He is so much better than people realize, he would be a good fit on this team.”
Because the Jazz have available cap space, they could absorb some of the extra contracts for the Lakers, as long as there are draft picks coming back in return.
At The Athletic, John Hollinger, the former Grizzlies exec, wrote, “If this wasn’t already obvious, the Lakers will need to throw some bodies overboard and may have to pay a team like the Pistons or Jazz with second-round picks to take them.”
If the Lakers want enough flexibility to add, say, DeMar DeRozan, Hollinger continued, “the Lakers would likely need to part with bigger contracts — think Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and/or D’Angelo Russell.”
To unload bigger salaries AND get a player in return, though? That will cost more than a couple of second-rounders. The Lakers would need to drop one of those future first-rounders.
Collin Sexton Undervalued in the NBA?
As for Sexton, he is a talented player who has never fully bounced back from his tumultuous early days with the Cavaliers. Sexton was a star in Cleveland, where he averaged 24.3 points per game in 2020-21 and formed a talented young backcourt with Darius Garland.
But Sexton tore his ACL 11 games into the next year, the Cavaliers had a breakthrough season at 44-38, and he entered restricted free agency the following summer, his value significantly reduced.
He went to Utah as part of a sign-and-trade, and has had a mostly lesser role since then.
Sexton did average 18.7 points for Utah last season, and has the added benefit of shooting 39.4% from the 3-point line on 4.2 attempts per game last year. Perhaps the Lakers could grab him and restore him to his former glory.
If the production is there, Sexton still has a team-friendly contract, originally $72 million over four years, now with $18.1 million remaining next year and, $18.9 million in 2025-26. It’s worth considering for the Lakers.