It is the unfortunate reality that untimely injuries often end up crushing a player’s dreams of getting that big payday. This time last year, Collin Sexton was coming off a season where he had averaged 24.3 points per game and he wanted to get paid like one of the best young guards in the league.
His demands were a bit too high for the Cavaliers though and they failed to agree on the terms for an extension last year, which made Sexton a restricted free agent this summer. While he would have backed himself to ball out once again and get a big deal from a team, things ended up going horribly wrong. Unfortunately for Sexton, he suffered a knee injury early on in the 2021-22 campaign, which ruled him out for the season, and with that, went his hopes of that payday.
There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of interest in his services and the Cavs were reported to have offered him just a 3-year, $40 million deal, which was promptly rejected. Despite their failure to come to terms on an extension, NBA insider Chris Fedor is reporting that Sexton is unlikely to hold out, as the only way for him to get that big contract and fix his reputation, is to show up and perform well.
via Cleveland:
“Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul is a tough negotiator. He fights hard for his clients. He’s been known to take these negotiations into — and beyond — training camp, which will begin in late September. But a holdout feels unlikely for Sexton. He is already a polarizing player and needs to rebuild his value following a significant knee injury that cost him all but 11 games. The only way to get the contract he wants (if he doesn’t get it from the Cavs this summer) is to show up and play well.”
Sexton does not have the greatest of reputations as a locker room presence and that combined with the injury explains why there hasn’t been much of a market. His only option does seem to be to show up and play well, as Fedor points out.
It remains to be seen how much of a role he would have on the team, however, as they had traded for Caris LeVert last season and reports indicate that multiple people within the organization would prefer to keep LeVert over Sexton.
