The Los Angeles Lakers are not new to getting linked to names in free agency. Take for example the names recently mentioned by Jonathan Givony, who floated up the names of Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Utah Jazz court general Collin Sexton as potential trade additions to Los Angeles, which is looking to fortify the supporting cast of LeBron James and Anthony Davis heading into the franchise's first season under new head coach JJ Redick.
“The Lakers likely will explore the trade market to see what type of veterans they can add to give LeBron James, Anthony Davis and new coach J.J. Redick the best chance of competing this season, with NBA names such as Dejounte Murray and Collin Sexton being batted around by rival teams as possible targets.”
Like Murray, Sexton is no stranger either to rumors linking him to the Purple & Gold franchise. The two were among the many names rumored to be potential trade targets by the Lakers ahead of last February's deadline. Sexton sounds like an interesting option for the Lakers. He has two more years on his current contract that he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2022 before the Cavs traded him to the Jazz. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star is set to cash in $18.35 million in the coming 2024-25 NBA season and $19.17 million more in the 2025-26 campaign before hitting the free agent market.
Can Collin Sexton help the Lakers?
Sexton has been a solid contributor for the Jazz over the last two seasons. So far in his NBA career in Salt Lake City, Sexton has put up averages of 17.0 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.5 rebounds while connecting on 49.3 percent of his attempts from the field and 39.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He has been a better and more accurate scorer in the NBA since getting traded to the Jazz, as evidenced by his effective field goal percentage splits; Sexton had a 50.4 effective field goal percentage and just 55.0 true shooting percentage in four years in Cleveland. In Utah, Sexton has posted a 55.2 eFG% and 61.0 TS%.
As of the moment, the Lakers have Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Spencer Dinwiddie in the point guard room, with Dinwiddie as the only one in the group with an expiring contract.
Should the Lakers pursue a trade for Sexton, it could mean the end of Russell's time in La La Land. Russell will likely pick up his 2024-25 player option worth $18.69 million. Without an extension for Russell, the Jazz could free up big legroom in their salary cap in 2025 if they acquire him in a swap with the Lakers in exchange for Sexton. Vincent is another potential trade asset the Lakers could use to trade for Sexton even though he has $22.5 million more in salary to collect over the course of the next two seasons. Utah, however, will probably want some draft capital from the Lakers in return for Young Bull.
Sexton arrived in the NBA in 2018 when the Cavs selected him eighth overall in the first round of that year's NBA Draft. In his first year in the league, which was also the first season since LeBron James left Cleveland (again), Sexton averaged 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game and finished fifth in the voting for the Rookie of the Year award (won by Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks).
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