The Charlotte Hornets officially have a guard logjam that borders on absurd, and that should signal to rival teams that Collin Sexton could be an attainable target.
After an offseason of collecting backcourt pieces one after the other, the Hornets now suddenly have double-digit names who could reasonably demand minutes at one of the guard spots: LaMelo Ball, Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Nick Smith Jr., Tre Mann, Josh Green, Josh Okogie, Kon Knueppel, KJ Simpson, Liam McNeeley. That’s not even counting more recently acquired combo forwards like Pat Connaughton or Sion James.
Imbalanced rosters in the offseason usually indicate that someone’s getting squeezed in the coming days. And that someone could be Sexton, a player the Milwaukee Bucks should be watching closely in the wake of Damian Lillard's departure.
Sexton could be up for grabs if Milwaukee is gutsy enough to make offer
Now that they've decided to move on from a superstar point guard of Lillard's caliber, Milwaukee is searching high and low for their next starting point guard. Kevin Porter Jr. is signed but may not be ready for the moment, while the likes of D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum have already been whisked away in free agency.
At 26 years old, Sexton is still one of the most explosive downhill scorers in the league when healthy. He’s fresh off averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds for Utah while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from distance.
And while he may not be the pure floor general the Bucks traditionally rely on, what he does bring is scoring punch: rim pressure, pace, and self-creation -- all of which were things they once relied on Dame Time for.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Jazz scored +1.9 more points and gave up -1.4 fewer points per 100 possessions whenever Sexton was on the floor for them. That's good for the 68th and 63rd percentiles in offensive and defensive ratings, respectively, among guards. While those aren't eye-popping numbers, they do paint a picture of a competent two-way guard who isn't a net negative on either end of the floor.
Now a possible framework to land Sexton would no doubt have to include draft assets. Considering their needs, it's entirely possible that Charlotte could be swayed by Kyle Kuzma and a future first-round pick swap.
The Hornets need size and scoring at the forward spot, especially if they’re going all-in on LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller as their core playmakers. They could possibly make a few more moves to offload some of their guards in favor of size, considering their frontcourt at the moment consists of just Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Mason Plumlee, and Tidjane Salaun.
So it makes sense for both teams. Kuzma gives them a legitimate option at either forward position, while the Bucks offload a player whose production has been a disappointment thus far.
It’s not a perfect fit by any means, but it’s a serviceable one. And it solves a real need for Milwaukee by giving Giannis a competent secondary creator who doesn’t need the system bent around him.
Sexton’s not a superstar (or, at this point, even a star). But he’s fast, physical, and perhaps most importantly, undervalued. In short, he's just the kind of guard who could thrive in what looks to be a more Giannis-centric Milwaukee Bucks offense this coming season.
Of course, Charlotte's logjam at the guard position doesn't necessarily mean the Hornets are set on moving forward from Sexton. So if there's a chance, it's worth taking.
With Charlotte suddenly overcrowded and clearly primed to flip a few pieces, the Bucks can't keep waiting on the likes of Malcolm Brogdon or D'Angelo Russell to address their guard gap.
Given the names left on the board this free agency, Collin Sexton could be the best remaining option for a team that just went all-in on contending by signing Myles Turner.