Report: Cavs ‘more likely’ to trade Collin Sexton if they draft Jalen Suggs with No. 3 overall pick

By Jason Simpson
Updated: June 23, 2021

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Wednesday that Cleveland Cavaliers star Collin Sexton could be traded if the team drafts Jalen Suggs with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Windhorst: “I don’t think you could draft Suggs and have Garland and Sexton still here.”

Says he thinks it’s more likely the Cavs would trade Sexton.

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) June 23, 2021

Windhorst added that he doesn’t see the Cavaliers trading their pick, but an earlier report suggested that the possibility is on the table.

Suggs is one of the top prospects in the upcoming draft. As a 19-year-old freshman, he led Gonzaga University to a nearly perfect 2020-21 season. The team fell one win short of completing its title run.

Suggs, who is now 20 years old, averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep during his lone collegiate campaign.

Sexton, on the other hand, is an established talent at the NBA level.

He is coming off of the best season of his NBA career. The 22-year-old averaged 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game during the 2020-21 regular season.

The elephant in the room is Sexton’s contract situation. He is eligible for a rookie extension after the 2020-21 season, and if the Cavaliers want to remain financially flexible, they might be better off unloading Sexton.

This summer will mark a very interesting and pivotal few months for the direction of the franchise.