Across a 13-month span, the Philadelphia 76ers twice entered serious trade discussions to acquire star guard James Harden. Each time, Tyrese Maxey’s name was involved as part of any deal to land Harden.
Yet, a year and change later, after one failed and one successful pursuit of Harden, Maxey remains with the Sixers. Amid the dawn of this new timeline, nobody has been a greater beneficiary of Harden’s presence than the second-year speedster. The Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets were right to inquire about him. Philadelphia was equally right to withhold him from trade packages.