Cavaliers scoring guard Collin Sexton admitted he wants to stay in Cleveland and re-sign with team this offseason. Sexton will be a restricted free agent this summer.
He only played in 11 games because of a torn meniscus suffered in a Nov. 7 game against the New York Knicks. He did not return for the rest of the season, as Cleveland got one win away from returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-2018.
In the 10 full games he was able to play prior to the injury, Sexton averaged 16.8 points with a 44.8 field-goal percentage. In the meantime, backcourt teammate Darius Garland finished an amazing season that included an All-Star appearance.
The Cavs will have to pay Garland next summer and that’s put a question mark in Sexton’s future with the franchise. Sexton was the leading scorer for the rebuilding Cavs during the 2020-21 season.
The Cavaliers were one of the surprise teams in the NBA in 2021-22. Their 44-38 record was a 22-game improvement from last season. This marked the franchise’s first winning season since 2017-18.
Cleveland missed out on the playoffs with losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament.
“I want to be here in Cleveland,” Sexton said in a recent interview with Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “I love the organization, love my teammates and whatever happens, I know that Cleveland was really good to me,” he continued (h/t to HoopsHype).
“I want to continue to be a part of this winning culture and be a part of this culture. I feel like me just being able to be at the start of it helped us get to where we are yesterday and where we are right now at the present. So, I love Cleveland. I want to be here.”
Cleveland selected Sexton with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He has averaged 20.0 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 218 career games in four seasons.
Resigning him could be tricky for the Cavs, who have already committed $125.45 million in salary next season.
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