NBA: Collin Sexton Season-Ending Injury Leaves Cavaliers In Tricky Predicament

KEY POINTS

Collin Sexton underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee
He suffered the injury during the Cavaliers game against the New York Knicks on Nov. 7
The Cavs said Sexton had an operation in Atlanta Wednesday

Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers will miss the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The 22-year-old guard suffered the injury during the Cavaliers game against the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden on Nov. 7, the Associated Press reported.

An update on the condition of the 8th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft was not released until Friday, when the Cavs announced that Sexton had undergone an operation in Atlanta Wednesday.

Sexton played only 11 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 16 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.7 minutes of action, according to Basketball-Reference.

The 6-foot-1 guard was the second-leading scorer for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff behind Darius Garland, who averaged 17.8 points.

With Sexton out, the Cavs face even more problems ahead. They are currently at the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings and may need additional help.

Also out for the Cavs at the moment is Evan Mobley. The rookie center is likely to miss a month due to an elbow sprain.

This new setback is a blow to Sexton, who is trying to prove to Cleveland and other NBA teams that he is worth investing in for the long term. He failed to land a contract extension before the 2021-22 NBA season started but could have used the current season to hopefully land a lucrative deal next offseason.

With Sexton on the sidelines, his future hangs in the balance. Although he was considered an integral part of the Cavs, his name had been dragged a lot in NBA trade rumors.

His tendency to want the ball in his hands as much as possible has not sat well with his teammates. Sexton is the score-first kind of player, but his inability to make the right decisions during games is what most are questioning.

As previously reported, Cavaliers management is still assessing how well Sexton can blend with Garland and Mobley moving forward. But there remains no word on how much they are willing to offer Sexton.

Some players in Sexton’s 2018 NBA Draft class have already gotten huge offers from their respective teams, including De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.

Fox got a five-year, $163 million max contract extension, while Murray was given a five-year, $170 million deal.