Lakers rumors: Reasons for and against trading for Collin Sexton

Jan 25, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
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(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

Reason for: Collin Sexton gives the Los Angeles Lakers a true third scorer

That coveted third scorer has been the one thing that the Los Angeles Lakers have been searching for over the last two years. They have been unable to find it on a consistent basis, although players have stepped up. Rajon Rondo became that guy in the 2020 NBA Playoffs and he was a big reason why the Lakers took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Collin Sexton can be that guy. While his numbers will likely dip in Los Angeles because he will no longer be the no. 1 option, he has proven that he can be a legitimate scoring presence and there is far more faith in him taking that third scorer role than Kyle Kuzma, for example.

Sexton averaged 24.3 points per game last season and was not terribly inefficient. I would not go as far as to say that he was very efficient, but his 51.9 eFG% is not awful. That number would only go up on the Lakers as they would not be asking him to create his own shot as much nor drive to the lane as frequently.

Instead, Sexton can focus on what he is best at. He is a solid free-throw shooter, and more importantly, can shoot the three-ball. He shot 37.1% from beyond the arc last season and is a career 38.5% three-point shooter.

Sexton can knockdown shots either with the second unit as a creator or as an off-ball threat with LeBron James initiating.