SEXTON IN THE CITY
CAVS LOOKING TO MOVE YOUNG POINT GUARD — AND KNICKS ARE INTERESTED
If Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton had fallen to ninth in the draft in 2018, Knicks brass would have selected the Alabama point guard over Kevin Knox, according to a source.
They didn’t get so lucky, and Sexton was taken at No. 8 by Cleveland. But the Knicks may get another shot at the speedy Sexton.
On Monday, The Athletic reported Sexton has been made “very available” by the Cavaliers in a potential trade. A source confirmed the Knicks have Sexton on their radar as they attempt to shore up the starting point-guard position and that he could be dealt during the 2021 draft on July 29.
The Athletic reported Tuesday the Knicks have been “most aggressive’’ in inquiring about Sexton, who is due a rookie contract extension, with the deadline in October. That extension could reach $168 million, spread out over five years.
On draft night, according to a source, the Knicks would be amenable to trading out of the first round by gaining an established player. They hold the Nos. 19 and 21 picks and are one of the few teams that have cap space before free agency begins on Aug. 2. They also have picks Nos. 32 and 58 in the second round.
Knicks rookie power forward Obi Toppin, the former Dayton star the Cavaliers nearly kept in Ohio before passing him up at No. 5 in the 2020 draft, is likely a player Cleveland would covet. Toppin is now stuck as Julius Randle’s backup with the Knicks.
Sexton is a client of CAA, the agency Knicks president Leon Rose ran until last season.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are blessed with another young point guard, Darius Garland, who was drafted in 2019. The chemistry of the Garland-Sexton duo has been serviceable but has not led Cleveland to the playoffs the past two seasons.
Knicks general manager Scott Perry ran the 2018 draft and the club worked out Sexton in a solo event at their facility in Tarrytown. Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists last season and shot a decent 37.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Knicks are desperate for a starting point guard — with Elfrid Payton, Derrick Rose and Frank Ntilikina all free agents. Only Rose has a chance to return, but more in a backup role after his knee didn’t hold up from all the minutes in the final two games of the playoffs versus the Hawks.
The Knicks have Rose’s early Bird rights and can go over the salary cap to resign him, but only if the offer is at $10.6 million or less. If the Knicks exceed that offer, then the contract will eat into their salary-cap space, a scenario they would prefer to avoid.
Other starry options the Knicks have discussed are Damian Lillard in a trade and Chris Paul as a free agent. But Lillard may not make a decision on his future until late in the offseason. And Paul is a long shot to want to leave the Suns, with he and the team both on the verge of winning their first NBA title.
Lonzo Ball, 23, is a restricted free agent but doesn’t have the offensive firepower or speed of Sexton and is viewed as more of a playmaker. Sexton is also younger at 22.