The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompeo recently reported that the 76ers offered Tyrese Maxi a five-year, $200 million maximum salary extension, and management regarded him as a more important team building star than Harden.
Although Maxi has suffered a little injury this season, he has also gone from starter to substitute and from bench back to the starting lineup, and he has proven his worth with practical actions. "Maxi is one of the brightest young stars." Several NBA executives commented, "He deserves an early maximum salary extension." ”
From Ben Simmons' refusal to play last season, Maxi seized the opportunity to quickly gain a foothold and take it to the next level this season, playing star-level statistics. Maxi joined the 76ers with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2020 draft, and at only 22 years old, he has a bright future, averaging 20.3 points and 3.5 assists in 60 games this season, shooting 48.1% from the field and 84.5% from the free-throw line. In the game, Maxi even replaced Harden as the main outside attacker, becoming the 76ers' second offensive pick.
"The 76ers have to keep Maxi with Embiid for a long time, and he's worth more than Harden now." Several executives told reporters, "It's not just game stats, on-field performances, locker rooms and off the field, Maxi is an important part of shaping the team's culture." See what this guy is doing? He's getting better all the time, his professionalism is amazing to those around him, this guy has been training hard for a long time, preparing for the game seriously, and he will definitely get better and better, these are all aspects that are better than Harden. ”
Maxi worked hard to address draft-time flaws, also shooting 43.4 percent from three-point range this season, averaging 2.7 of 6.2 shots per game. For comparison, Maxi shot just 29.2 percent from three-point range from three-point range at the University of Kentucky and 30.1 percent from the field in his rookie season. In addition, Maxi's mid-range shooting has gradually stabilized, and his finishing ability under the basket has also improved significantly, showing the characteristics of a superstar.
"Maxi became one of the Big Three of the 76ers, even more important than Harden." Keith Pompeo said, "It's Maxi's rapid growth that puts the 76ers in an enviable position, and he qualifies for a contract extension this summer and management must lock him in. ”
The Heat extended Taylor Hiro for $130 million for 4 years, the Warriors renewed Jordan Poole for $123 million for 4 years, and RJ Barrett and Anfini Simmons both received more than $100 million contract extensions. Obviously, Maxi's strength and value surpass these players, and a five-year maximum salary contract is the right choice.
"The 76ers made a preliminary extension offer for $200 million for five years, which is the largest maximum salary contract Maxi can get." Keith Pompeo confirmed that "Maxi had the option to sign a short-term contract first and then get more for the 2025-26 season, but Maxi's team chose to stabilize first in order to focus on basketball itself." 76ers management firmly believes that Maxi will be a better All-Star guard than Harden in the future. ”