NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN believes Damian Lillard would be on the Philadelphia 76ers right now if Tyrese Maxey was available.
Lillard has requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, who would like to acquire Maxey. However, the Sixers have made Maxey untouchable in trade talks.
Lillard wants to get traded to the Miami Heat. However, the Blazers don’t have to honor Lillard’s trade request since he doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. Portland is going to focus on getting the best return possible for Lillard.
Even though the Sixers are interested in trading for Lillard, they will not part ways with Maxey, who is one of the top young players in the NBA. He averaged 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists this past season while shooting 48.1% from the field, 43.4% from beyond the arc and 84.5% from the free-throw line.
In the 2023 playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, Maxey put up 20.5 points, 4.8 boards and 2.3 assists per game. The Sixers lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games despite having a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Doc Rivers was fired as head coach and replaced by former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
Maxey has career averages of 15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He was the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft. The Sixers will not sign Maxey to a rookie-scale extension this summer, so he’ll become a restricted free agent next offseason.
The Sixers are currently dealing with James Harden’s trade request. The former MVP opted into his 2023-24 player option with Philly and is working with the organization on a trade. Harden wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
It’s going to be fascinating to see where Lillard and Harden are playing next season.
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