The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly not offering Tyrese Maxey his rookie extension this summer. At first glance, this does not seem to make sense. Maxey is one of the top rising stars in the entire NBA and having him remain in Philadelphia is an absolute no-brainer for the franchise.
The Sixers are not planning to extend Tyrese Maxey this summer, sources told ESPN. He is still seen as a big part of their future, but the team wants to delay an extension for him to preserve flexibility.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 30, 2023
Why would the Sixers not extend Tyrese Maxey this summer?
It is being reported that the Philadelphia 76ers maintain Maxey is an important player for the future of the team and they expect him to be in Philly for years to come. The reason for delaying his rookie extension is to provide the team with more financial flexibility over the next couple of offseasons to try and build a Championship-level team around league MVP Joel Embiid.
Currently, Maxey’s rookie contract is only a $13 million cap hit for the Philadelphia 76ers. If they decided to give him the max eligible extension of 5 years and $207 million, then that cap number would be in the $30+ million range. With the Sixers saving that cap space, likely trading James Harden, and having Tobias Harris’ contract expire after this upcoming season, the team could possibly be in a position to sign two max players next off-season!
So when you dig deeper, this move seems like the real no-brainer for the Philadelphia 76ers. But it does not come without a level of risk. From the business end of things, the Sixers are making the right decision, but for a budding superstar like Maxey who is coming off a career year, telling him you want to delay signing him, regardless of the financial sense, could rub him the wrong way. If you want an example of this, look no further than Deandre Ayton.
Maxey does not seem like a player to hold a grudge or be overly bothered by this decision; in the end, he will still get his bag, and it will almost certainly be from the Philadelphia 76ers. We will have to wait and see what, if any repercussions, will come as a result of this, but I support this decision by the franchise.
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