Boasting All-NBA production and rare athleticism, the 25-year-old star bridges the gap between competing alongside Joel Embiid and anchoring a dynamic future centered on speed and dynamism.
Analyst Joe Giglio of Sports Radio 94WIP floated the idea of the Philadelphia 76ers trading Tyrese Maxey as part of a larger reset. It makes sense in theory, but in practice, it would be the wrong move for Philadelphia.
Maxey should not be traded under any realistic team-building direction.
That applies whether the Sixers try to make another run with Joel Embiid or fully shift toward a younger roster built around VJ Edgecombe. Maxey fits both timelines, which is what makes him different from most players on the roster. He is already good enough to help a veteran team win now, but young enough to remain central if Philadelphia decides to reshape the future.
His production backs that up. Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals this season while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three, and 89.2 percent from the free-throw line. He earned his first All-NBA selection, landing on the Third Team, and became the first Sixers player other than Embiid to make an All-NBA team since Ben Simmons in 2020.
If the Sixers keep Embiid and attempt to compete, Maxey is still essential. He gives Philadelphia the speed, rim pressure, and perimeter scoring needed next to Embiid’s half-court gravity. When the offense gets slow, Maxey is the player who can force pace, attack before defenses are set, and create a different rhythm than Embiid's more methodical style.
If Philadelphia resets, his value is even clearer.
Maxey is only 25, meaning he can grow alongside Edgecombe instead of blocking his development. Edgecombe already showed major promise as a rookie, averaging 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals while earning All-Rookie First Team honors.
That duo also gives Philadelphia a cleaner identity. Instead of continuing to build around slower, injury-dependent roster constructions, the Sixers could become faster and more dynamic. Maxey and Edgecombe could headline a team built around speed, athleticism, and transition offense.
There is also still room for Maxey to improve. As good as he already is, he can become a better playmaker by using his scoring gravity to create cleaner looks for teammates. His speed forces defenders to collapse, and the next step is consistently turning that pressure into easy offense for his teammates.
Trading Maxey would only make sense if the Sixers believed he had already hit his ceiling. Nothing about his career suggests that. Since entering the league as the No. 21 pick in 2020, he has improved from being an energetic young guard to Most Improved Player, then to an All-Star-level scorer, then to an All-NBA centerpiece.
He is not the problem Philadelphia needs to solve. He makes every possible solution far easier to imagine due to his combination of current ability and future growth.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
