New Lakers guard looking for second chance at NBA stardom

For players like Collin Sexton, a top-10 pick in the 2018 draft, it can get easy to get lost in the shuffle of the NBA.

As part of the Lakers’ roster reconstruction, he’s hoping to break through in ways he hasn’t before.

Sexton, who was a 2017 McDonald’s All-American and one-and-done collegiate player at Alabama, became the first building block of the Cavaliers’ post-LeBron James rebuild after Cleveland selected Sexton with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft. 

He finished fifth in the voting for the 2018-29 Rookie of the Year, and then had back-to-back seasons of averaging at least 20 points (including a career-high 24.3 points in 2020-21) – albeit for Cavaliers teams that won fewer than 31% of their games in each of Sexton’s first three seasons. 

Sexton, and the Cavaliers, were poised for a breakout in 2021-22 after Cleveland drafted Darius Garland in 2019, trading for Jarrett Allen in January 2021, selecting Evan Mobley in 2021 draft and acquiring Lauri Markkanen during the 2021 offseason.

The breakout happened for the Cavaliers, but not Sexton, who played only 11 games before having season-ending left knee surgery. 

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had their first winning season since James left, going 44-38 and missing the playoffs after being eliminated from the Play-In Tournament. 

That 2021-22 Cavaliers squad remains the only team Sexton’s finished a season with that had a winning record – let alone make the playoffs.

With the Cavaliers looking to build off their breakout season, Cleveland traded Sexton (along with Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and multiple draft picks) to the Jazz for star guard Donovan Mitchell. 

What followed for Sexton were three productive seasons with the Jazz: He averaged 17.5 points and 4.2 assists from 2022-25.

But each of those seasons all ended the same way – with Sexton and his Jazz teammates watching the playoffs from home after a losing year.

After being traded to the Hornets during the 2025 offseason, it appeared Sexton was going to play NBA postseason basketball for the first time in his career after being a part of Charlotte’s midseason turnaround.

But the Hornets traded Sexton to the lowly Bulls ahead of the trade deadline in February, making it eight straight seasons Sexton was going to watch the playoffs from home after the Bulls finished with a 31-51 record.

So as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, Sexton prioritized choosing a team where winning mattered.

It led to him signing a two-year, $19.2 million contract with the Lakers, with a player option for the 2027-28 season.

“I definitely feel like it was super important – finding a place where I can compete and not be at the crib in April right after the season ends,” Sexton said. “So at the end, just having the opportunity to be a part of this organization and be a part of the team, I was super grateful. And I’m super thankful. 

“And just talking to [coach] JJ [Redick[, I can tell he believes in me in my abilities and what I can bring to the team. I feel like my energy can be contagious to this team.”

Unlike eight years ago when he arrived in Cleveland, Sexton didn’t arrive in Los Angeles with the expectations of being a star.

The Lakers don’t need him to be. 

But for Sexton to make his first appearance in the playoffs, the Lakers will need him to seize the chances in front of him. 

“Honestly, I would say just opportunity – opportunity to go out, win and be able to compete each and every night,” Sexton said on why he joined the Lakers. “And I feel like that’s something that needs to be shown, that I bring each and every day, is that I want to compete. But also the want to win.”