The Los Angeles Lakers made Collin Sexton official on Sunday, adding a 27-year-old guard who gives them another proven scorer and another name to fit into a crowded backcourt picture. The move also puts fresh attention on Austin Reaves, whose place in the Lakers’ larger roster math has become part of the conversation around every new addition.
Sexton arrives after a season in which he played 68 games and averaged 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field and 40.1% from three-point range. The Lakers did not need him to be a project. They needed a player who has already shown he can score in volume and do it efficiently, and Sexton has done that before, including a 2021 season when he averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists in 60 games.
His path to LA has been long enough to explain why the signing matters. Sexton entered the NBA as the 8th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after one season at Alabama, spent his first four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, then three more with the Utah Jazz before finishing last year with the Chicago Bulls after a trade from the Charlotte Hornets. Over 475 career games, he has averaged 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field and 38.9% from three.
That production is the reason the Lakers moved quickly after Shams Charania reported on July 1 that Sexton had agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal. The team also welcomed him on X with a brief note about bringing energy to LA, a sign that this was meant to be more than a quiet depth move. For a roster looking for playable scoring, Sexton fits the role immediately and gives the Lakers another guard who can handle the ball and create offense without waiting to develop.
The catch is that the signing changes what can happen next. Trevor Lane said the Lakers are above the cap now, which means they are not clearing room to chase another higher-priced addition. He added that any further move would need to come through a trade or a veteran minimum signing, and he said the next names to watch are Reaves and Looney. Anthony F. Irwin said the Lakers made Sexton official and remain hard capped below the first apron, which narrows the lane even more. In plain terms, the signing helps the Lakers on the floor while tightening their options everywhere else.
Carlos Yakimowich said Sexton will wear No. 10, a small detail that becomes the last clean answer in a move that otherwise opens more questions than it closes. The Lakers have their guard, but the cap picture now makes the rest of the summer harder, not easier, and that is the part to watch after the welcome message fades.
