The Detroit Pistons may be in the market to add Collin Sexton
With a touch over three weeks until the NBA trade deadline, the Pistons are going to be thrust into potential trade discussions despite Detroit’s President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, expressing that the team will likely take a cautious, pragmatic approach to roster construction.
The latest name to pop up as a potential trade target for the Pistons is Collin Sexton, an eighth-year combo guard for the Charlotte Hornets according to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.
At 6-3, Sexton is a combo guard who is another high-octane slasher who can score at multiple levels, but the veteran is yet to put forth a convincing season as a team’s primary ball handler. Sexton came close two seasons ago for the Jazz, logging 4.9 assists per game across 51 starts, but the explosive scorer struggles with ball security and averages north of two turnovers per game for his career.
On the surface, Sexton appears to offer a similar profile to that of Jaden Ivey considering the current Hornet averages 15.2 points per game this season on 39% shooting from behind the arc. Sexton is noted as a rugged defender, so his two-way game would fit with the program that J.B. Bickerstaff is running in Detroit, but he would have to come at the right price.
Now, Siegel did not reveal the terms of a potential deal between the Pistons and the Hornets, instead opting to indicate that Detroit’s front office is monitoring Sexton along with other NBA teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.
What Would Adding Sexton Cost Detroit?
Given all the draft capital that the Pistons currently own on top of a deep team that can contribute from the first player to the 15th player on the roster, Detroit is in as good of a position as anybody to trade for Sexton without inadvertently mortgaging the future just to win now. In fact, Ivey would be a potential asset that the Pistons could swap for Sexton if the Detroit organization does not plan to extend the fourth-year Purdue product a qualifying offer before restricted free agency begins this upcoming offseason.
From a fit standpoint, Sexton offers a lot of qualities that Bickerstaff covets on his team, which could work in favor of the Pistons pursuing a deal before the deadline. Sexton is speedy and can stroke the three-ball at a high clip, which is one of the most pressing needs that the Pistons have at the moment. If Detroit can improve their three-point shooting in smooth fashion without sacrificing too many pieces for the future, then the upcoming trade deadline can be considered a clear-cut success in the Motor City.
While Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson can essentially be penciled into the Pistons' starting lineup when healthy, Detroit has utilized a host of other guards, such as Ivey, Marcus Sasser, Caris LeVert and Daniss Jenkins to round out the team's back court. Sexton would reasonably fit in that latter contingent, and the Pistons would need to sort out their guard depth for the potential trade to make sense.
Whether Langdon opts to pursue Sexton as the fulcrum for improving the Pistons’ roster still remains to be seen, but continue following Pistons Roundtable for more updates on Detroit’s transaction log as the NBA trade deadline approaches.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.