The Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to move to No. 3 in the 2018 NBA Draft, but they rejected a trade offer from the Atlanta Hawks.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported that the Hawks offered the No. 3 pick and Kent Bazemore to the Cavaliers for the No. 8 pick. The offer was enticing since the Cavaliers needed a point guard.
Luka Doncic and Trae Young were both available at that point since the Phoenix Suns took Deandre Ayton as No. 1 while the Sacramento Kings selected Marvin Bagley III as the No. 2 overall pick.
However, the Cavaliers rejected the offer because Bazemore has a salary of $18.1 million this season, making their packed salary cap sheet even more bloated. Also, Bazemore has a $19.3 million player option for the 2019-20 campaign.
The Cavaliers avoided the expensive route and opted to remain at No. 8 where they selected point guard Collin Sexton. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Cavaliers were impressed by Sexton's competitiveness, character and overall drive.
"He did not have a knockout individual workout in [Cleveland] in terms of skill work or shooting, but the team was enamored by him as a person and what they saw from him in game settings," McMenamin tweets.
The Hawks agreed to exchange picks with the Dallas Mavericks, who held the No. 5 selection. The Hawks selected Luka Doncic while the Mavericks picked Young.
Sexton Signed Rookie Deal With Cavaliers
Vardon also reported that Sexton signed his rookie deal with the Cavaliers. According to Vardon, Sexton's deal is worth up to $20.2 million over four years.
Spotrac said the 19-year-old Sexton will earn $4 million in the 2018-19 season and his contract is guaranteed in the first two years. The Cavaliers hold team options for Sexton's third and four seasons. After his fourth year, Sexton will be eligible for free agency if the Cavaliers won't sign him to a contract extension.
Sexton will compete with veteran playmaker George Hill for playing time at point guard. However, it is expected that Sexton will come off the bench in his first year.
Sexton Impressive In NBA Summer League
Sexton made his presence felt in the NBA Summer League after scoring 25 points on top of seven assists and four rebounds in the Cavaliers' 96-84 win over the Sacramento Kings Wednesday.
In the last two games, Sexton scored a combined 46 points and is averaging 18.8 points per outing. Sexon's outstanding performance impressed no less than head coach Tyronn Lue.
"Collin's been very good," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue says. "I like the way he attacks the basket, he's good in the pick-and-roll. He's got a good pull-up jump shot, and he's just making the right play."
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