Cavaliers Rumors: Collin Sexton, Cleveland Fail to Reach Rookie Contract Extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers and guard Collin Sexton did not come to an agreement on a rookie-scale contract extension before Monday's deadline, per Cavaliers reporter Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.

The 2018 eighth overall pick is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Sexton is coming off the best season of his NBA career during 2020-21. The 22-year-old Alabama product averaged career highs in points (24.3), assists (4.4), minutes (35.3) and field-goal percentage (47.5).

Sexton has started all but 10 of the 207 games he's played in his three-year career. Despite his offensive production, wins haven't been easy to come by for Cleveland during Sexton's tenure. The Cavaliers have finished with a record below .500 and missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Sexton was the only Cleveland player to average over 20 points last season. His backcourt partner Darius Garland, a first-round pick in 2019, was second on the team with an average of 17.4 points. Cleveland had hoped that Sexton and Garland would pair well together in a dual-point-guard system, but that hasn't worked out so far.

Nicknamed "Young Bull," Sexton starred at Alabama for one season before entering the NBA. He faced eligibility concerns after being linked to an FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. After his name was cleared, Sexton went on to average 19.2 points for the Crimson Tide.