Two peaks and two abandoned, from "James successor" to the league homeless man, the maximum salary dream is shattered

. For Sexton, the Cavaliers' offer is extremely humiliating - $40 million in three years, with an average annual salary of only one-quarter of Garland. You know, not long ago, Sexton was the team's scoring leader and was the core of the future that was highly anticipated, but now, he has even become a luxury for staying with the Cavaliers. The American media commented sharply: "Sexton has a leader's heart, but no leader's life." In the summer of 2022, Sexton was traded by the Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz. Dragging his newly repaired knee, he walked into the cold night of Salt Lake City alone. In the early stage of rehabilitation, every time he bent his knees, it hurts like a knife. For countless nights, he questioned whether he could still return to the peak. But Sexton's tenacity has never disappeared, and the gene of Gu Yong, who had "3-for-5-for-5-for-40" in college, woke up again. Every day, he would eat and sleep, soak in the training hall to restore the strength of his knees bit by bit and polish his skills.

Hard work pays off. In the game against the Washington Wizards in December 2022, Sexton made a substitute, making 6 of 7 shots in 17 minutes, scoring 18 points efficiently, with a plus-negative value of up to +12, and declared his "return of the king" with a perfect performance. At that moment, Salt Lake City fans cheered for him, and the media began to re-examine the hard-earned player. In the 2023-2024 season, Sexton completely regained his form and turned into an "efficiency machine" in the league. He averaged 18.4 points per game, with a real shooting percentage of 61.2%, ranking seventh in the league in scoring at critical moments, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 39.4%. In the game against the Knicks in early 2024, he scored 20 points in the second half, destroying the opponent's defense with his accurate shots and sharp breakthroughs. The media in Salt Lake City exclaimed excitedly: "This is a jazz-like improvisational chapter!" Few people know that in Sexton's storage locker, there is always an old-fashioned flip phone. He rejected the hustle and bustle of social media, was unwilling to be disturbed by outside voices, and only wanted to focus on basketball and listen to the purest sound when basketball entered the network. From his hometown of Pauder Springs to Salt Lake City, Sexton's 2,000-mile basketball journey is full of thorns. The bold statements on talent show night became the laughing stock of the media. The meniscus torn apart to tear his dream of maximum salary, and Garland's halo pushed him into the abyss of being traded. But he never gave up. In the Jazz, he broke through the label of "Cavals' abandoned son" and completed another rebirth of his career. The snow-capped mountains of Salt Lake City reflect the purest background of his belief in basketball - the so-called Nirvana is just a process of slapping fate in the face and making it a crown bit by bit.

Just when everyone thought Sexton could finally stabilize with the Jazz and move towards a new goal, fate didn't seem to be planning to let him go. On June 30, 2025, Sexton was once again placed on the transaction shelves. The Jazz packed him up, plus a second round pick, and sent him to the Hornets for Nurkic. When the deal was announced, the entire league was at a loss, and no one understood why the Jazz were eager to send Sexton away in good shape. Soon, the Jazz's reporter revealed the reason behind it: the team's general manager Danny Angie originally thought that Sexton was of great trade value and could at least exchange for an unprotected first-round pick for the team, but other teams knew that the Jazz were eager to sell Sexton, so they refused to give the chips the Jazz wanted. In desperation, the Jazz could only choose to accept such a seemingly "lose" deal.

For Sexton, this deal is undoubtedly another heavy blow. Not only is it labeled as a "area tramp", but it may have to say goodbye to the maximum salary completely. In the East, where competitiveness is not fierce, the Hornets have always been a bottom team. Three Balls have frequently suffered injuries in the past two seasons. Although Sexton will get a chance, he can only play the role of a tough player after three Balls is injured. It is difficult to get a big contract in this small ball market.

However, anyone who knows Sexton knows that there seems to be only basketball in his life. He is not as keen on socializing like other NBA players, and does not surf the Internet to share his life. His daily life trajectory is so simple that he can only eat, sleep, and practice football. Some people say that he lives like an old man in his seventies or eighties, boring and boring, but only Sexton himself knows that basketball is the most important thing in his life. For this love, he is willing to give up all the irrelevant hustle and bustle. His desire to win and his spiritual attributes are no less than any star in the league, but fate has never given him the respect he deserves, pushing him into desperate situations again and again. Sexton is now only 26 years old, in the prime of his career. Although he had experienced two peaks and two abandoned times, his dream of being a maximum salary had long been shattered, his love for basketball in his eyes has never been extinguished. Just like a persistent bulldog, he will continue to bite with fate. Even if the future is full of thorns, even if he cannot stand at the top of the league in the end, he will not stop moving forward.