Collin Sexton effectively received a protected prove-it deal from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2026. The player option on his two-year, $19.2 million contract gives him a touch more security than a one-year agreement would have. However, the Lakers could just as easily cut ties with him next summer in a similar fashion to how they handled Deandre Ayton recently. They could even do it sooner, if needed.
A big part of the reason for the Lakers wanting flexibility with how to handle Sexton's future should come down to the question marks around his fit. Offensively, there should be few concerns. Los Angeles should be quietly confident in what the veteran guard can bring.
The defensive end is where there would be a few more gulps. Sexton is a player who gives all the effort he can. That much is not the issue. However, the limitations that come with his size have made him less than effective.
JJ Redick will get a proper opportunity to see if he can make it work with his new backup guard. If the Lakers coach cannot find a way to effectively deploy Sexton on that end, he will not be in it for the long haul with Los Angeles.
Collin Sexton should fit just fine offensively with the Lakers
The question the Lakers will be asking themselves is how often can they deploy Sexton alongside one of Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves. The eight-year vet is primed to be featured as either the sixth or seventh man in the rotation. That will inevitably have him matching minutes with one of those two.
Offensively, it is hard to think things will not work. Sexton is capable of playing both on the ball and off of it. That will lend itself well beside Doncic or Reaves.
Sexton aggressively attacks the basket when the ball is in his hands. That will allow him to put pressure on defenses when Doncic or Reaves are in need of someone else to command the offense, or are dishing out to extend a play after getting stuck.
The former lottery pick was also an elite catch-and-shoot option last season. Sexton shot 44.5 percent on his catch-and-shoot triples in 2025-26. Around Doncic and Reaves, that is worth its weight in gold on a kickout pass.
Defensively is where a massive gulp comes in for Collin Sexton
To put it simply: Sexton is quite beatable on the defensive end. How does that mesh with Doncic and/or Reaves being out there on the perimeter with him?
The defensive issues for both stars are overstated. Even so, it is still helpful to have Doncic and Reaves in positions where the Lakers can work around some of their limitations. Does sharing the court with an underwhelming performer on that end in Sexton allow for that?
That is the element which will be put to the test from opening night right up until the 2027 trade deadline. The Lakers do have multiple factors weighing favorably in Sexton's viability alongside the stars. Walker Kessler will be behind them for clean-up duty, and Redick is a tremendous head coach.
Those two things should give Sexton as good of an opportunity as he can ask for to fit with the Lakers stars on defense. If, in spite of that, there is too much bleeding on the defensive end, then tough conversations will arise. Weighing Sexton's future in Los Angeles will become unavoidable.
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