Windhorst: 76ers Won't Trade Tyrese Maxey, Not Even for Prime Michael Jordan, LeBron

When it comes to potential trade negotiations, the Philadelphia 76ers are drawing a line in the sand on young guard Tyrese Maxey.

"The other thing the Sixers are wanting to be known is that they are not gonna trade Tyrese Maxey," Windhorst said at the 15:52 mark of the Hoop Collective podcast Monday. "They have made this clear to various people over the recent days.

"They want you to know that you can't have Tyrese Maxey. Prime Michael Jordan is available? Don't call. Twenty-five-year-old LeBron James is available? Lose our number. Giannis Antetokounmpo says, 'I want to be a Sixer?' If Tyrese Maxey is the ask, just keep walking."

After James Harden and Damian Lillard both requested trades this offseason, fans began to wonder whether there's a path for Philly to effectively replace Harden with Lillard as it chases an elusive championship.

However, Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported the Sixers "are not a preferred destination" for Lillard, while colleague Jake Fischer added the team has "no interest in putting Tyrese Maxey in any trade conversations" more broadly.

The extent to which Windhorst emphasized his point indicated this could be posturing on the part of the 76ers.

Their stance on Maxey is somewhat at odds with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reporting how they aren't expected to give the 22-year-old an extension this summer.

Keeping his $13 million salary cap hold for 2024-25 gives the front office more flexibility for next offseason, but teams typically don't hesitate to pay young stars they consider to be foundational pieces. Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane have already gotten max deals from their respective teams.

There's also the simple fact that Lillard is a better player than Maxey right now and would improve Philadelphia's title odds in the short term. And as much as Joel Embiid likes playing alongside Maxey, he might like Lillard a little more.

On Jan. 24, 2022, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported the Sixers preferred to wait until the ensuing offseason to acquire another star from a Ben Simmons trade. A little over two weeks later, Simmons was on his way to the Brooklyn Nets with Harden landing in Philadelphia.

If including Maxey in the offer is what it takes to finalize a Lillard trade, you'd think the Sixers' resolve would begin to wane.