As Much As We Love Maxey, Making Him Untouchable is a Mistake
We all love Tyrese Maxey. He is not just a rising star, but a genuinely great kid whose personality fits in perfectly in this city. His smile is infectious, and when he is good he is the type of guy who can take over a game. Losing him would suck. With all of that said, if they could bring in elite talent, he should absolutely be available for trade. Because as good as Maxey is, he is not a Super Star, and may never be one. But apparently, the Sixers wouldn’t trade him for literally anything. At least according to what they told Brian Windhorst.
The Sixers have let it be known Tyrese Maxey is untouchable in trade talks, per @WindhorstESPN (https://t.co/XJOiJnyaAN):
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 3, 2023
“The other thing that the Sixers are wanting to be known is that they are not going to trade Tyrese Maxey. They have made this clear to various people over… pic.twitter.com/0Xeuxmg5SV
The part about not moving him for even prime Michael Jordan or Giannis Antetokounmpo is ridiculous and meaningless. Obviously, they would never be in a position where that is even possible. It’s just Windy, or whomever Windy talked to, being hyperbolic. But the larger message is that they do not want to move Tyrese Maxey.
That could be true, but it could also be posturing to make Tyrese Maxey appear more valuable. Saying you don’t want to sell something is a classic way of making that thing more valuable. We likely won’t know for a while if they really mean it. But they should absolutely be willing to trade him for the right price. I am not saying trade him just for the sake of it. They should value him very highly, and the price to acquire him should be through the roof.
A player like Damian Lillard is the price. AKA, A superstar. Dame specifically might not be in the cards. He seems destined for South Beach. But if that changed, or another player of his level became available, you trade Maxey for him. because as good as Maxey is, he is flawed
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He is a great scorer. One of the better 3pt shooters in the league, and surprisingly great at driving to the rim for someone his size. But he is a liability on defense. He lacks the size needed to defend many of the better backcourt players he is asked to cover. And there are times when he can be taken out of the game when covered by taller defenders who are quick enough to keep up with him. Yea, we get the 30 pt games. But we have also seen too many games where he is in the low teens. Especially vs the Celtics.
The other issue is Maxey will need to be paid soon. And is Maxey worth the max money he will likely get? Or would he be similar to Jordan Poole where once he gets that max money his flaws start to become more evident? Paying him very well could handicap the Sixers if there is not another level to his game. And he is in that spot where he is too good to not pay, but maybe not good enough to live up to it. And they could be getting into another Tobias Harris contract right after finally getting out from under the Tobias Harris contract.
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The state of the Sixers right now is grim. It is early still. The off-season just started. So the Sixers could still pull off some moves and put together a legit roster. But With James Harden asking out, and it right now looking like the return for him will be role players, things are not looking great. Right now it feels like the roster will be Embiid, Maxey, Tobias Harris, and role players. That does not seem like a winning team on paper. Even if James Harden decides to return on the 1-year deal he opted into, the fans are going to be upset about the state of the franchise.
And if you look at the state of Sixers’ Twitter, the mood is as low as it has ever been under Josh Harris’ ownership. People are upset, and the overall sense is the Sixers do not know what they are doing. And them telling Windhorst this, is not going to improve the mood. It makes them seem unserious, and clueless about the issues this team faces going forward.
There may not even be a trade out there worth giving Maxey up for. Dame doesn’t want to come here. That could change, but the cogs already seem to be in motion to get him to the Heat. And as of now, there are no other Super Stars on the trading block. In which case holding onto him is the right play. But the idea they are unwilling to do it even if that type of player did become available though, is incredibly frustrating.
Again, the Sixers could be lying. Morey swore Ben Simmons would not be traded in the 2020-2021 season. But we know he offered Ben Simmons in a James Harden trade with the Rockets. It needs to be said though that if there is a deal out there that would land the Sixers a true Super Star, Maxey needs to be on the table.
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