Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Dallas Mavericks after missing the playoffs this season, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranked the likelihood of all 29 teams having to potentially acquire Luka Doncic should he decide to make a trade request.
The Philadelphia 76ers were ranked in Quinn’s sixth tier, which he called “Lack either the assets or the star power,” and were ranked no. 22 overall. He then previewed the trade they could potentially offer the Mavericks should Doncic be put on the table.
“The 76ers could at least offer Tyrese Maxey to Dallas, but that really only gets them past the first three teams in this tier,” Quinn said, referring to the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Quinn added that the lack of assets the Sixers have because of the James Harden trade makes it difficult to see a Doncic trade happening.
“The 76ers have spent most of their picks. James Harden will either be on an enormous contract or the Houston Rockets by the time these negotiations come to pass. They just don’t have enough to pair Doncic with Joel Embiid.”
Tyrese Maxey Headed For Big Contract Extension
An NBA general manager revealed to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that Maxey will likely get a big contract when his rookie deal expires after next season.
“They have a lot of big contracts they’re dealing with, obviously,” the GM told Deveney. “But they’re going to have to make him another one. He’s a max guy.”
An Eastern Conference executive explained to Deveney how Maxey’s improvements since coming into the league will factor into negotiations, and how much better he could get from here.
“They might have thought there was room to negotiate there,” the executive told Deveney. “But look at what the guy has done. He’s gotten better at every turn. His work ethic is really, really amazing from everyone around him. That’s what stands out. This guy is only getting better. Probably, there’s no negotiation, they’re going to have to max him out.”
This season, Maxey is averaging 20.3 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 43.4% from three. His production may only go up if Harden is not on the team next season.
Sixers’ Personnel ‘Would Not Mind’ if James Harden Left
While praising Maxey, the Eastern Conference executive told Deveney that some in the Sixers’ organization wouldn’t mind if Harden left because of his age.
“There are some in that organization who would not mind at all if Harden left,” the GM said. “I don’t think he will, but he could and even if he doesn’t, he is not going to get a real long deal from the Sixers. He is getting older, you don’t know how much of a commitment you want to make him.”
Maxey by contrast is seen as a possible face of the franchise by the Sixers, according to the exec.
“But Maxey, the guy is a culture-setter. He works hard, he is relentless. He has fit in with whoever they put him with. That is not easy to do in this league. Moving forward, they want him to be a face-of-the-franchise kind of guy. He has the talent. They have the belief in him. It is only a matter of time, really.”