One of the biggest surprises and “feel good” stories of the 2021-22 NBA season has been the success of the young and counted out Cleveland Cavaliers.
Without LeBron James, the narrative in Cleveland for years has been that the Cavaliers cannot win and that they are a bottom-tier franchise in the NBA, but the Cavaliers organization has finally turned a new leaf and they are a formidable foe in the Eastern Conference yet again.
Cleveland currently finds themselves 35-22 on the season, good for the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference and just two full games behind the Miami Heat for first-place in the conference.
With one of the easiest schedules remaining in the league according to Tankathon, the Cavaliers actually have a real chance to possibly claim the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference, something nobody thought would be said at the beginning of the year!
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest Intel Surrounding NBA Buyout Market After Trade Deadline
Evan Mobley has emerged as this season’s possible Rookie of the Year and both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have been named first-time All-Stars, but what is really impressive about the Cavaliers is that they have battled through adversity with injuries.
Not only did veteran guard Ricky Rubio go down with a torn ACL in his left knee, leading to the Cavaliers trading for Caris LeVert, but they lost Collin Sexton early in the season due to a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Sexton was selected 8th overall in 2018 by Cleveland and since entering the league, he has been their No. 1 scoring option. Losing Collin Sexton, who has averaged 20.0 points, 3.3 assists and has shot 45.8% from the floor over the course of his career, was a big hit to the Cavaliers, but they have become an even better team with him out of the lineup and his value to this franchise has definitely changed.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest Intel Surrounding NBA Buyout Market After Trade Deadline
In the final year of his rookie deal, Collin Sexton is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason and could have very well played his final game in Cleveland already!
Darius Garland is the new focal point of this team and with so many other key talents in Allen, Mobley and now LeVert, the Cavaliers may not want to keep Sexton on a new long-term, high-paying deal.
Will Collin Sexton sign with a new team in the offseason? Here are three teams who should be monitoring his status closely leading up to 2022 free agency.
