Off the Table: NBA Insider Says Tyrese Maxey Will Remain With Sixers

Before the 2021-2022 NBA season started, the Philadelphia 76ers looked to land another All-Star through the trade market by granting Ben Simmons' wishes and finding him a new home. At the time, Philadelphia targeted prominent prospects such as Portland's Damian Lillard and Washington's Bradley Beal.

While Simmons is considered one of the NBA's most significant trade chips right now, a straight-up one-for-one deal for either of those two guys was unlikely to happen at the time. Therefore, some other Sixers players were mentioned as possible trade candidates if Lillard or Beal became a reality for Philadelphia.

Among those rumored to be on the move potentially was the second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. After becoming the 21st pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Maxey didn't earn himself a steady role with the 76ers last year. While he showed promise, it was unclear how much he would develop -- and how long it would take before he could be a starting-caliber guard in the NBA.

This season, the Sixers had no choice but to try and find out early. As Simmons held out as expected since the Sixers failed to find a trade they liked, the team utilized Maxey as the starting point guard. As it turned out, Maxey's second-year emergence was a pleasant surprise this year.

After averaging eight points and two assists while shooting 30-percent from deep last season, Maxey doubled his production and now puts up 16 points, four assists, and knocks down 40-percent of his threes this year as a starter.

Once viewed as a possible trade-filler in a Ben Simmons blockbuster, Maxey has now become borderline untouchable, according to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer.

"Sources say Maxey is totally off the table. He’s only 21, and is averaging 16.9 points and 4.8 assists per game in the second year of his career. He hustles on defense, is selfless and clutch, and does wild things like hitting layups while falling horizontally out of bounds. He can drain shots off the dribble and now he’s comfortably making 3s."

The Damian Lillard talks have disappeared for the time being. While the Bradley Beal smoke went away and came back as the Wizards had a roller coaster of a season, all attention in Philly has now been put on Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden.

As the Sixers are reportedly pursuing the star guard once again, there's some speculation that something could get done before Thursday's trade deadline. It's been suggested that Brooklyn could request Simmons in a package including Maxey, but the thriving young guard has now reportedly proved to be too much to trade in a package with another All-Star.

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

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