Sexton trade rumors continue

Collin Sexton’s name continues to come up in trade rumors, and the closer the NBA draft gets the more the Cavaliers’ guard is likely to be mentioned.

Various reports have the Cavaliers among teams wanting to acquire forward Ben Simmons from the 76ers.

The Cavaliers would have to send Sexton or Darius Garland to Philadelphia in such a deal. Garland and Sexton are both 6-foot-1 guards.

Sexton averaged 24.3 points a game in 2020-21 to lead the Cavaliers in scoring. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is eligible for a max contract extension of five years, $168 million that would kick in in the 2022-23 season.

Simmons, 6-foot-11, averaged 14.3 points a game this past season. He turns 25 next week. He was criticized for being reluctant to shoot the ball in an Eastern Conference playoff loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Marc Stein, formerly of ESPN, reported the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings are also interested in acquiring Simmons.

The Cavaliers, with the third pick in the draft, would be able to replace Sexton by drafting Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs, both guards, and not be on the hook for the max contract extension Sexton is expecting.

Sexton has garnered most of the attention because of his scoring ability and his contract situation. But a report from the Philadelphia Enquirer suggests Garland would be a better fit for the 76ers because he is a better 3-point shooter and more willing to pass the ball. Garland averages 9.1 assists per 100 possessions compared to 6.1 for Sexton.

The report from the Enquirer has the Cavs including forward Larry Nance Jr. in a trade for Simmons.

Trading for Simmons could be a good fit for the Cavaliers whether they choose to keep Garland or Sexton because Simmons averaged 6.9 assists last season. He has averaged 7.7 helpers a game in four NBA seasons and would be happy feeding the ball to the Cavaliers guards.

Another report, from Shams Charania of The Athletic, has the Cavs shipping Sexton to the Knicks for power forward Obi Topin and a first-round draft pick. Topin played in 62 games with the Knicks as a rookie in 2020-21 but averaged only 11 minutes and 4.1 points a game.

Kevin Love’s name always comes up in trade rumors, but he is owed $60 million and teams are reluctant to take on that salary.