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Collin Sexton's Price Tag Is Safe. His Job Description Isn't.

At 27, the eighth-year guard has two years left on his deal and a crowded backcourt daring him to prove he fits.

Collin Sexton15.4 ppg, 40.1% from three, 85.5% from the line last season
By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Sunday, September 27

Camp opens with twenty-one Lakers chasing fifteen roster spots, and Collin Sexton, entering his eighth season at 27, isn't fighting for a starting job. He's making the case that the second unit still needs someone who can get his own shot.

Collin Sexton of the Lakers
Collin Sexton. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Fifteen-Man Squeeze

Twenty-one names are still on the training camp roster, and general manager Rob Pelinka told Lakers Nation's Matthew Valento he wouldn't rule out a trade to get that number down to fifteen. Collin Sexton, entering his eighth season at 27, is one of seven perimeter players in the mix with Austin Reaves, Bronny James, Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht and Ziaire Williams. He has started before and come off the bench before; this camp is about proving which version the Lakers still need.

Efficient, Not Cheap

Last season Sexton averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 23.7 minutes across 68 games, shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three and 85.5 percent at the line, career-caliber marks for a scoring guard. The advanced numbers complicate the picture: a 61.5 true shooting percentage and 24.8 usage rate show a player who can get his own shot at any moment, but a 110.5 offensive rating paired with a 113.6 defensive rating produced a net rating of minus-3.0 whenever he played. He rebounds and passes lightly for a lead guard, at 4.5 percent and 21.7 percent respectively, which is the trade-off for the bucket.

What Sexton Needs to Be

Two seasons remain on his deal, $9.4 million this year and $9.8 million next, and he is not on the injury report heading into camp. With Luka Doncic and Reaves running the offense, Sexton doesn't need to be a number-two option again; he needs to be the scoring punch that keeps a second unit afloat without the minus-3.0 net rating following him onto the floor. That means the same splits with fewer empty possessions, instant offense that doesn't cost the Lakers the game underneath it.

What is Collin Sexton's contract with the Lakers?

Sexton is signed for two more seasons, $9.4 million in 2026-27 and $9.8 million in 2027-28.

Is Collin Sexton injured heading into training camp?

No, he is not on the injury report as the Lakers open camp.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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