Donovan Mitchell or Tyrese Maxey?
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
The Utah Jazz appear to be going into rebuild mode as they traded three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, and are open to trading Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell, 25, averaged nearly 26 points per game last season, leading the Jazz to the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Most NBA fans and analysts assume that his most likely landing spot is the New York Knicks. However, with the “fishiness” of James Harden’s new contract, there is the possibility of acquiring a third star. The question now raised for 76ers fans is whether or not they’d include Tyrese Maxey in a trade for Mitchell.
The Sixers have been involved in talks about acquiring a “third star” throughout the offseason. Potential names for this player were Zach Lavine, Bradley Beal, and even Damien Lillard. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were also briefly mentioned, but the asking price was too high. So the name involved in talks now is none other than Mitchell.
In previous mock trades, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle were the centerpieces of most packages. For most Sixers fans, it wouldn’t be too difficult to say goodbye to either of these players. That said, you wouldn’t want to give up either player if you don’t have to. As it stands, the Sixers starting roster would consist of Maxey, Harden, Harris, PJ Tucker, and Joel Embiid, undoubtedly a contending starting lineup. Off the bench, the Sixers have DeAnthony Melton, Shake Milton, Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Paul Reed. The bench isn’t ideal, but the Sixers can improve with the extra $15 million taken off of Harden’s contract. Unfortunately, that isn’t how analysts believe the money will be used.
The talks now are that Daryl Morey is working behind the scenes on a contract for Harden that would allow Mitchell to be traded to Philadelphia. If the Sixers were to make a move for Mitchell, they would likely have to include Maxey in the package. If the offer were Mitchell for Maxey straight up, you would have to do it if you were the Sixers. Unfortunately, that trade is extremely unlikely. The Knicks reportedly declined an offer for Mitchell that included Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, and six first-round picks, making a straight-up Maxey for Mitchell trade seemingly impossible.
The Jazz's lucrative asking price raises the question of whether it’s even worth it to spend time on Mitchell. The likely minimum offer would be Maxey, Thybulle, and picks. This doesn’t seem like much, but giving up a future All-Star in Maxey, and potential DPOY in Thybulle, in the same deal wouldn’t be wise. Not to mention that one is 22 and the other is 25. The starting five of Maxey, Harden, Tucker, Harris, and Embiid is almost too good to split up. With a couple of key bench additions, the Sixers could very well be title contenders. The extra $15 million should, without a doubt, be used for that purpose. A third star makes zero sense when you have a balanced starting lineup.
Trading Maxey for Mitchell should be out of the question for the Sixers if it means giving up another key piece of the roster. And yes, Thybulle is a “key piece” of the roster because of his defense. Making any push for Mitchell is questionable, even if you don’t have to include Maxey. It seems that the Jazz are currently focused on the Knicks and could be a waste of time for Morey. As a Sixers fan, you would hope that Morey is focused on the necessity of adding more pieces to the bench. One or two more moves would make this Sixers roster complete.
