Doc Rivers Told John Calipari Sixers Won't Trade Maxey

After spending his freshman season at the University of Kentucky, Tyrese Maxey gambled on himself and declared for the 2020 NBA Draft.

Throughout the pre-draft process, Maxey was viewed as a lottery pick. Therefore, he didn't have too much connection to the Philadelphia 76ers, whose first pick didn't come until No. 21.

But on the night of the draft, Maxey continued sliding down the board, which frustrated his college head coach, John Calipari.

“I thought he should have gone earlier," Calipari said after the draft. "Let me just tell you; there’s a lot of people who are going to regret that they passed. There are about eight positions that they’re going to look back a few years from now and say, ‘Look where he went and where he could have gone.’”

While Calipari was frustrated Maxey didn't get selected in the lottery, he was happy to see where his former guard landed. With the 21st pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, the Sixers snagged Tyrese Maxey.

In year one, Maxey showed some solid flashes. While he didn't start for the Sixers and sometimes found himself out of the team's rotation as Philly employed Ben Simmons, Shake Milton, and George Hill, Maxey was definitely a young prospect worth keeping an eye on.

Before Maxey debuted as the Sixers' starting point guard this year with Simmons out of the mix, many believed that he could get moved along with Simmons so the Sixers could net themselves a star such as Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal.

Hearing the rumors regarding a possible Maxey trade, Calipari feared that the young guard would be moved during his sophomore effort in the NBA. So, he reportedly went to Doc Rivers to make sure that wasn't the case.

"I was worried to trade Ben, they were going to have to move Tyrese," Calipari told the 94WIP Morning Show on Thursday. Rivers' response? No way.

"I said, the way they could move him is, 'I'll take Ben, but I gotta have Tyrese.' And I said to Doc, please tell me that's not happening," he continued. "(Rivers) said, 'Never happen.' He said, 'Look at my eyes, that will never happen.' So I probably shouldn't say that publicly."

Maxey's future in Philadelphia at the moment is ultimately up to Daryl Morey and not Doc Rivers. But considering Doc Rivers knows a lot about what's going on behind the scenes, there's a good chance the Sixers are going to continue rolling with Maxey, especially since the young guard has exceeded expectations this year.

You can never say never in the NBA when it comes to trades, but prior to Calipari's latest reveal, a report has indicated that if the Sixers are going to discuss a trade for a big-name player, Bradley Beal specifically, Maxey is reportedly off the table.

There are now several indications that Maxey is in Philadelphia to stay.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_