There’s no question the Sixers are in a weird and difficult spot. Trading their 24-year-old All-Star guard and unquestioned leader seems a bit hasty though.
It’s inevitable when a big trade happens in the NBA that folks immediately start wondering how it could affect their team.
After the Magic and Grizzlies completed a trade over the weekend that saw Desmond Bane head to Orlando for four first-round picks, some Sixers fan started thinking: what could the team get for Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star guard two years younger from the same draft class as Bane?
If you’re looking for an article examining possible Maxey trades, you’ve come to the wrong place. This article is going to tell you to take a deep breath and think about what you’re actually talking about for a minute.
The Sixers are in a weird and — in many ways — unenviable place. They owe a whole lot of money over the next few seasons to Joel Embiid and Paul George, two players in their 30s with extensive injury histories. It’s fair to wonder how effective Embiid and George can be moving forward, let alone contemplating whether either can regain their All-Star form.
They have Maxey and are very likely to re-sign 24-year-old Quentin Grimes, who was mighty impressive over a 28-game sample with the Sixers. There’s also 21-year-old Jared McCain, who might’ve run away with Rookie of the Year if not for a torn meniscus, and the No. 3 overall pick in next week’s NBA Draft.
There are other pieces, young and old, but none are as consequential to the team’s conflicting timelines as the aforementioned players.
When news of the Bane trade broke, the vast majority of NBA folks felt like the Magic overpaid. That’s what seems to be fueling this discourse around Maxey — if Memphis got THAT for Bane, what could the Sixers get for Maxey? It can be a fun exercise, but you’re basically playing GM in NBA 2K if you think about it for too long.
Maxey is the team’s most valuable asset and he’s sort of sitting in between the team’s two timelines.
This is exactly why the Sixers should not trade him.
He’s good enough and has proven to be an impressive playoff performer to help Embiid and George if their bodies allow them and the team to compete next season. He’s also young enough to help usher in the next era of Sixers basketball next to McCain and the young prospect(s) the team nets next week.
He has value to other teams because he’s valuable. Acting like the Sixers would miss some great opportunity to trade him right now is actually sort of insane. He’s 24. He’s under contract for the next four seasons. He’s also a year removed from making an All-Star team and coming directly off a down year, meaning his value isn’t even at its highest. He’ll still be 28 when Embiid’s contract (if Embiid remains here for his whole contract) comes off the books.
Where’s the fire?
It’s also not an ideal time to tank. Next year’s pick is top-four protected now that this year’s pick did not convey to the Thunder — meaning it’s extremely likely that OKC will have the Sixers’ first-rounder in 2026.
Best case scenario if you keep Maxey: Embiid and George resemble their All-Star selves and, with Maxey, could possibly make noise in a seemingly wide-open East.
Worst case scenario if you keep Maxey: Embiid and George repeat last season, but at least you’ll have Maxey leading a young and dynamic team to instill some level of hope for the future.
None of this is accounting for that whole leadership/franchise cornerstone thing. In every way possible, Maxey is the exact type of player you want filling that role. Nobody works harder. Nobody loves basketball more. Nobody hates losing more. Nobody is a better teammate. Those intangibles on a 24-year-old All-Star who’s averaged 26 points a game over the last two seasons … and you want to trade this player?
No player is untouchable, especially in the situation the Sixers find themselves. If the Bucks called tomorrow offering Giannis Antetokounmpo for Maxey, the Sixers would do it. But trading Maxey because he has the most trade value feels counterintuitive. You have a player that most teams in the NBA covet. So … maybe just keep that player for yourselves?
In the history of the Sixers franchise, only four players have averaged over 26 points a game at age 24 or younger: Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Embiid and Maxey. That’s two Hall of Famers and a guy that’s basically guaranteed to get there. Will Maxey reach that level? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be awfully special and help this team win in the future.
Get off social media. Go touch grass. Don’t trade Tyrese Maxey.