The Philadelphia 76ers are different this season, but they are also technically the same. The main difference is that Tyrese Maxey has taken the superstar leap, but he has already stepped into the role as the face of the franchise. Having said that, it appears that the franchise had almost fumbled the bag before someone unexpected intervened and made sure that he would end up in Philly.
Maxey is represented by Klutch Sports, a sports agency founded by Rich Paul. Known for repping some of the biggest names in the NBA, Paul revealed just recently that the 76ers nearly prevented themselves from picking Maxey in the 202 NBA Draft before he managed to convinced Elton Brand, 76ers general manager, to go with the eventual All-Star.
In his recent podcast appearance with Max Kellerman, Paul bared that Brand was close to trading the 21st pick in the 2020 draft. Fortunately, that deal did not push through, lest the 76ers would be in an entirely different timeline that could be much grimmer than people expect.
Rich Paul apparently saved the 76ers and averted a no-Tyrese Maxey timeline
“Philly was going to trade that pick, and I called and told Elton Brand, for sure, he'll tell you... I said, 'Elton, I'm telling you right now, if this guy gets to you, you better take him. Because he should have been gone.”
Paul was adamant on the 76ers being an ideal landing spot for Maxey and vice-versa. While there was probably some agency-induced rationale behind it, the fact remains that Maxey ended up being one of the best players in his draft class despite getting selected well outside the lottery.
Now, Philadelphia has ushered in a new era of 76ers basketball. While the faces are still familiar, Maxey is nor running the show with VJ Edgecombe playing second fiddle to him despite Joel Embiid and Paul George still on the roster.
It is definitely unfathomable to imagine the 76ers not having Maxey, who has grown into an MVP-caliber player in Year 6. Without him, this franchise would be in complete shambles, and their future would be incredibly dim with their tenured stars already on steep declines.
Fortunately, Rich Paul managed to avert that grim alternate timeline, making him a one fo the most unexpected figures to swing the pendulum toward the 76ers’ favor. Not a lot of people will remember this, but he definitely deserves some props for that.