The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free-agent guard Collin Sexton to a two-year contract reportedly worth $19 million, with a player option for the second season, the team announced Tuesday.
Sexton, 27, enters his ninth NBA campaign after stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls. Selected eighth overall by Cleveland in the 2018 draft out of Alabama, the 6-foot-1 combo guard owns career averages of 18.3 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range.
Last season the Marietta, Georgia, native appeared in 68 games—22 as a starter—split between Charlotte and Chicago. He averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 23.7 minutes, connecting on 48.5 percent of his shots overall and 40.1 percent from deep. Following a mid-season trade that sent him to the Bulls for Coby White, Sexton closed the year with 17.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.
At Alabama, Sexton earned First Team All-SEC honors and co-SEC Freshman of the Year recognition in 2017-18 after posting 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Internationally, he captured MVP honors while helping Team USA secure gold at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup.
The Lakers are reshaping their roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Departures this offseason include LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. New arrivals to date are Sexton, Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney.
Sexton will wear No. 10 in Los Angeles, the number last used by Kennard. The Lakers envision him as their primary guard off the bench, aiming to boost rim pressure and second-unit scoring. Shortly after news of the agreement broke, Sexton released a hype video on social media celebrating his move to the purple and gold.
Source: LakersNation.com
