Cavaliers Rumors: Cleveland Granted $3.17M DPE for Collin Sexton's Knee Injury

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost starting point guard Collin Sexton to a torn meniscus in November.

On Wednesday, The Athletic's Kelsey Russo reported that the NBA granted Cleveland a disabled player exception worth $3.17 million because of Sexton's season-ending injury. Russo noted that the deadline to use the DPE to sign a replacement player is March 10.

Sexton suffered the injury in Cleveland's win over the New York Knicks on Nov. 7 and he underwent surgery on Nov. 17. Last week, Sexton told Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor that he's "on schedule" with his rehab, and he expressed optimism for a potential return if the Cavaliers advance to the postseason.

"When my body tells me I’m at a good place and a good time, that’s when I’m going to give it a go," Sexton told Fedor. "I feel good physically as well as mentally. I’m excited to see what happens the next couple of months and see where it goes."

At the time of his injury, Sexton was Cleveland's leading scorer at 16.0 points per game.

The Cavaliers have been perhaps the biggest surprise in the league this season, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record. Cleveland has made an incredible leap on defense and leads the league in opponents' scoring average at 102.2 points.

In Sexton's absence, third-year point guard Darius Garland has taken over the reins and is in the midst of a career year. He leads the team with career highs of 19.8 points and 8.2 assists. Rookie big man Evan Mobley has also been one of the best first-year players in the league with 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in 43 games so far.

The Cavaliers are in action Wednesday in a road matchup against the Houston Rockets (14-36).