Lakers No. 10! Officially Debuts! The Most Underrated Signing

On September 6 Beijing time, Lakers newcomer Sexton posted photos of his No. 10 jersey and training, with teammates Kessler, Grimes, and Mamu appearing in the comments section. Discussing the Lakers' team-building trip to Slovenia, Sexton said: "Luka helped us come together. We are not just training together, it feels more like team building."

This summer, Sexton joined the Lakers on a two-year, $19 million deal, with a player option for the second year. He will serve as a backup point guard next season. Sexton said: "In recent years, I have watched a lot of Smart and Bradley's games, observing how they changed the pace of defense. I think I can learn their skills and bring that experience to the Lakers."

Many fans questioned the large contracts given to Kessler, Mamu, and Grimes, but few believe Sexton is not worth his deal. He can provide the bench scoring the Lakers urgently need. Sexton was the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, in the same draft class as Doncic. In his NBA career, he has averaged 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 38.9%.

Sexton's previous contract was a four-year, $72 million deal, which expired this summer. Born on January 4, 1999, he played 68 regular-season games for the Hornets and Bulls in the 2025-26 season, averaging 23.7 minutes, 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.1 turnovers per game, with shooting splits of 48.5%, 40.1%, and 85.5%.

In the 2020-21 season, Sexton posted the best numbers of his career during his third year. He played 60 games for the Cavaliers, starting all of them. He averaged 35.3 minutes, 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1 steal, and 2.8 turnovers per game, with shooting splits of 47.5%, 37.1%, and 81.5%. His individual offense was not a problem, but defense and playmaking were not his strengths.

Another issue for Sexton is that he has never played in the playoffs and has not proven himself in high-intensity series. Among active NBA players who have never played in the playoffs, Sexton has appeared in 475 regular-season games, ranking third in the league behind Mikal Bridges' 501 games and Markkanen's 492 games.

A two-year, $19 million deal. What grade would you give the Lakers' signing?