Toronto Raptors: 2 reasons to trade for Collin Sexton, and 1 reason not to

Negative No. 1: Sexton was a net negative for Cleveland.

Sexton is har from a sure-fire stud. While he has been surrounded by complete chaos in Cleveland, there are several reasons that this team has remained in the basement of the East, and teams singling out undersized guard Sexton on the defensive end could be a huge contributor to that.

Cleaning the Glass (subscription required) shows that the Cavaliers have had a negatuve point differental with Sexton on the floor in each of the last three seasons. From 2018-19 to this year, the Cavs allowed 5.8, 8.8, and 2.3 more points per 100 possessions with Sexton on the floor, which rank in the 8th, 3rd, and 29th precentiles, respectively.

Collin Sexton’s defense could hurt the Raptors.

Masai Ujiri clearly values perimeter defense in roster constriction, hence why Lowry and VanVleet were the starting backcourt last year, Malachi Flynn was drafted in the first round, and OG Anunoby continues to become more important. Sexton is a negative on that end, and that could be a major turn-off for Toronto.

While we have seen high-scoring, poor-defending guards get moved in seismic trades, and players like Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury have proven that it doesn’t always translate to wins. If the Raptors are unable to fix Sexton’s defense and playmaking ability, they could live to regret this hypothetical deal.