Tyrese Maxey Is The Biggest Winner Of The Sixers-Clippers James Harden Trade
It’s far too early to declare whether the Philadelphia 76ers or Los Angeles Clippers decisively won the recent James Harden trade. The Clippers are off to an 0-2 start with Harden, but they figure to coalesce and figure out a more definitive pecking order soon enough.
Meanwhile, the Sixers are surprisingly atop the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 record after a 106-103 win over the longtime rival Boston Celtics on Wednesday. However, a pair of upcoming games against the Indiana Pacers and a rematch against the Celtics will be more early-season litmus tests.
One clear winner has already emerged from the trade, though: Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.
The Sixers had the opportunity to sign Maxey to an extension this past offseason, but they declined to do so for salary-cap reasons. Had they signed him to a new deal, his starting salary would be on their books at the beginning of the 2024-25 league year. Instead, he’ll count as only $13.0 million on their cap until they re-sign him next summer.
In essence, the Sixers are artificially manufacturing more than $20 million in cap flexibility that they would otherwise lack had they already signed Maxey to an extension.
They now have the ability to create more than $50 million in cap space heading into free agency. Between that and the assets they received from the Clippers for Harden, the Sixers suddenly have plenty of ways to bolster their supporting cast around Maxey and Joel Embiid.
Meanwhile, Maxey is thriving in his new role as the full-time ball-handler. In his first seven games, he averaged 25.4 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 three-pointers while shooting 48.1% overall and 40.7 percent from deep. Most importantly, he’s averaging only 1.1 turnovers per game—fewer than he had in a primarily off-ball role last year (1.3).
The Sixers are imploring Maxey to be even more aggressive as he continues to navigate the balance between creating offense for himself or his teammates. If he heeds that advice, he’s all but certain to earn his first All-Star nod this season.
The bigger question is whether a spot on an All-NBA team is in play. That could help Maxey earn an extra $41.2 million on his upcoming extension.
By ruling out extension talks for cap reasons right away, the Sixers dodged the potential for contentious negotiations poisoning the well between them and Maxey. It’s unclear whether they would have offered him a full 25% max contract, especially one with designated rookie language that could cause it to jump to 30% if he makes an All-NBA team.
If he keeps this up, though, the Sixers have little choice but to hand him a blank check next summer.
Maxey never would have gotten this kind of opportunity had Harden returned to the Sixers this season. He likely would have become one of the league’s premier off-ball weapons, but him proving his prowess in a point guard role will only further bolster his value. ESPN recently ranked him as the 11th-best player under the age of 25, ahead of recent top-three picks Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley and Paolo Banchero.
Mobley can sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers next summer, while Banchero and Holmgren become extension-eligible in 2025. All three are virtual locks to sign full max contracts with their respective teams. Maxey is now on that trajectory as well, if he wasn’t already.
There’s still a long season to go, along with a potential playoff run. Maxey will have plenty more opportunities to prove that he’s one of the best young guards in the NBA and deserving of that type of contract.
Based on the current $142 million salary-cap projection, a rookie-scale max will start at $35.5 million and be five years and $209.9 million in total. If Maxey makes an All-NBA team and the Sixers give him a 30% max instead, it would begin at $42.6 million and be worth $247.1 million in total.
Either way, they’ll handle their other free-agent business first and then use Bird rights to re-sign Maxey to his new megadeal. Even if he qualifies for a supermax, it won’t affect how much cap space they have.
Only two weeks into the season, it’s far too early to begin debating All-NBA spots or award races. The league’s new collective bargaining agreement requires players to play at least 65 games to be eligible for most awards, so a medium- or long-term injury can knock a player out of contention entirely. Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Jamal Murray are among the star guards who are already in danger of falling victim to those new rules.
If Maxey keeps churning out dynamic performances and the Sixers remain toward the top of the East standings, though, he’ll have a viable case for an All-NBA spot. The Sixers will likely give him the full 30% max if he qualifies for it, but from a long-term financial perspective, they’d be better off if he fell just shy this year.
Because based on the way he’s playing so far, a 25% max might still be a discount on the value he provides.
