Mark Blinch/Getty ImagesCollin Sexton signed a four-year, $72 million contract as part of a sign-and trade to the Utah Jazz, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Charania noted the $72 million deal is fully guaranteed.
Sexton heads to Utah in a trade that will send Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Along with Sexton, the Jazz will also receive Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks and a pair of pick swaps, per Charania.
The 23-year-old Sexton is among the most electric young guards in the NBA, but he is coming off a lost season of sorts because of injury.
In 2021-22, Sexton missed all but 11 games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. When he was healthy and playing, he averaged 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 three-pointer made per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 24.4 percent from long range.
Cleveland selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Alabama, and he was coming off a career year statistically entering the 2021-22 campaign.
In 60 games during the 2020-21 season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 three-pointers made and one steal per contest while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
While he was excellent individually, it didn't result in winning basketball for a Cavs team that struggled to a 22-50 record and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
They were much better collectively in 2021-22, going 44-38, which may have been the impetus behind moving on from Sexton.
Another possible reason for the Cavaliers' willingness to trade Sexton is the presence of Darius Garland, who is a similar player in many ways.
The Cavs selected the 22-year-old fifth overall in 2019 out of Vanderbilt, and he broke out with a career year in Sexton's absence, averaging 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals en route to his first career All-Star selection.
Cleveland also acquired guard Caris LeVert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers this past season, making Sexton even more expendable.
After trading All-Star center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Mitchell to Cleveland, the Jazz will have a decidedly different look and appear to be loading up for the future.
Sexton is still young and has plenty of untapped potential, so he could be the bridge from some growing pains in the immediate future to contention a few years down the road when Utah's young assets start to develop.
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