How the 76ers are risking a Kawhi Leonard-like situation by reportedly not extending Tyrese Maxey

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The Philadelphia 76ers are in a somewhat transitional state at the moment. James Harden opted into the final year of his contract reportedly with the understanding that the 76ers would try to trade him, ideally to the Los Angeles Clippers. The thought of Daryl Morey ever trading Harden was, at one time, unthinkable. Part of what might make it palatable today is the presence of Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey is coming off of a breakout third season. He averaged 20.3 points per game despite sharing Philadelphia’s back court with Harden. He’s one of the most explosive young guards in the NBA, and he’s grown into a stellar 3-point shooter over the past several years as well. He has defensive limitations due to his size and he’s not a great playmaker yet, but Maxey is on a trajectory towards becoming either a max-salary player or something very, very close.

The 76ers recognize this. They reportedly want to keep Maxey for the long haul. However, according to Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, they do not plan to extend him this offseason.

The idea here is to maintain maximum flexibility. By not extending Maxey, the 76ers obviously make him easier to trade, but they also set themselves up to be a major player in 2024 free agency if they want to. As of right now, the only Philadelphia player with a guaranteed salary for the 2024-25 season is Joel Embiid. P.J. Tucker has a player option. Everyone else they currently have could potentially come off of the books, and they will likely therefore prioritize expiring deals in a Harden trade for that exact reason. 

That would give the Sixers max cap space and the right to retain to Maxey long-term. How? Maxey’s cap hold as a restricted free agent next summer would be based on his draft slot. He was the No. 21 overall pick, so that figure would be relatively low: around $13 million. In other words, Philadelphia could go into next offseason with nothing on its books but Embiid’s projected $51.5 million salary, Tucker’s $11.5 million player option and a $13 million cap hold for Maxey. The 76ers would of course…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-the-76ers-are-risking-a-kawhi-leonard-like-situation-by-reportedly-not-extending-tyrese-maxey/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2023-06-30 21:00:57

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