Star Philadelphia 76ers star guard Tyrese Maxey put the team on his back late in Game 5’s win over the New York Knicks Tuesday evening.
Maxey scored seven points in the final 25.1 seconds of regulation, including a four-point play, to force overtime. The 23-year-old guard also hit a three-pointer in overtime, helping Philadelphia fend off elimination.
With the 76ers set to host Game 6 Thursday evening, their season is in no way over. However, some of the focus is now on Maxey’s star power and his status as a restricted free agent this coming summer.
Philadelphia made the surprise decision not to extend Maxey on a rookie-level max contract last offseason. The reasoning behind this was to give front office head Daryl Morey more flexibility as he worked through the James Harden situation.
Now that Harden is on the Los Angeles Clippers and with Maxey doing his thing in Philadelphia, he should be a priority for the 76ers once the summer comes calling. It now looks like this is going to be the case.
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Tyrese Maxey in line for max contract during NBA free agency
Appearing on FanDuel’s “Run it Back” Wednesday, NBA insider Shams Charania made it clear that Maxey will receive a max contract this coming summer.
“We have to give (Tyrese Maxey) his flowers, he’s beloved as a teammate, as a player. He’s going to be a maximum contract player this summer,” Charania noted.
Given Maxey’s performance this past regular season and during the playoffs, this should not come as too much of a surprise. The former first-round pick from Kentucky averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists on 45% shooting during the regular year. He’s been even better in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
- Tyrese Maxey stats (NBA Playoffs): 32.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.2 APG, 50% shooting, 43% 3-point
Those are absolutely some elite numbers. They have also helped keep Philadelphia afloat with reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid nowhere near 100%.
The question here is who might target Maxey with a max contract offer in restricted free agency. The Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs all have enough cap room to offer him the max.
Though, it stands to reason that a return to Philadelphia could be in the cards. As of this writing, they have a projected $55.5 million in cap room. That’s second behind Detroit around the NBA. They will likely match any offer to the still-young guard.