Fantasy Trade Thread

[Stanford]

All of this **** is just emotional attachment. It is not a personal accomplishment for any of us if the Philadelphia 76ers win an NBA championship, nor is it a personal failing if they don't. Nothing we care about or post on a message board makes a **** difference. If you don't have an emotional attachment to the players, all you're doing is playing fake GM on the internet.

[stormi]

All of this **** is just emotional attachment. It is not a personal accomplishment for any of us if the Philadelphia 76ers win an NBA championship, nor is it a personal failing if they don't. Nothing we care about or post on a message board makes a **** difference. If you don't have an emotional attachment to the players, all you're doing is playing fake GM on the internet.

We all have different motivations for following professional sports teams. I've had this discussion with fans from other teams before. Some are truly content to support their guys come rain or shine and there's nothing wrong with that.

Other want to win and feel pain with losses. I don't think I'll forget how I felt when that Kawhi shot went in for the rest of my life. I don't think I moved for seven hours. Most of us are probably numb to it by now, but that's the only reason why I support the 76ers. For the journey and the eventual hope of triumph.

I don't know any of these players personally and a lot of them end up being revealed as horrible human beings anyways.

Tyrese Maxey could be gone tomorrow and if it's a move that I feel brings the franchise closer to a parade on Broad Street then i'll support that wholeheartedly.

We've seen far better players come and go.

[stormi]

The Thunder had two homegrown MVPs in Durant and Westbrook that they watched mature into league wide superstars before their very eyes with an NBA finals journey along the way.

They're both long gone now and i'm sure their fans couldn't care less either because the NBA clock is eternal and they've got a completely new and exciting team with the same hunger and aspiration of watching their franchise lift that Larry O'Brien trophy.

[Mik317]

idk but personally I think you should keep your good players.

Maxey has won us playoff games. Plural. Thats hard to come by imo

[Arsenal]

I've been the biggest Maxey backer from Day 1 while many clowns were trying to give him away as a throw in, or for any mediocre player with pulse. I want him here long-term.

However, if *the right deal* comes along which raises our championship equity, then I'm ok with trading him.

I certainly see a Steph + Monta or Dame + CJ situation unfolding if we keep him, but that's not the worst thing in the world. The Cavs are currently 17-1 with a similar-sized backcourt.

[Arsenal]

Also, our biggest problem is our TRASH supporting cast. A Maxey led team can win games if you surround him with guys who can actually make open shots.

[the_process]

I can't believe how many people have turned on Maxey. Unbelievable. You guys deserve this ****.

I don't think there's any malice in performing honest Tyrese Maxey thought experiments and by no means - if we're removing the sentimentality should he be placed on a pedestal as a surefire star in this league.

We can love the kid as a person / appreciate his mercurial his scoring talent while being honest about the limitations that make him further from ideal of a modern franchise centerpiece.

Of course this goes without saying that he's still only 24 years old and still in his ascension phase as a player, but a non-passing and non defending little guard will always be a luxury piece more than a foundational one.

It's a unicorn league now where the standard for being a franchise guy are:

- 7'0 variety point centers that can score from all three levels (Jokic/Embiid/Vic)
- 6'11 NFL running backs that can put up 30/10/5 in their sleep (Giannis)
- 6'6-6'8 jumbo point guards that score and create at elite levels (Luka/Shai)
- 6'8+++ wings that score and defend at high levels (Durant/Kawhi/Tatum/Paolo/Flagg?)

Simply if you don't have a guy of this caliber your chances are non-existent. We had/have a guy of this caliber, but he's physically and mentally fragile and when that guy is not around everything about Tyrese Maxey's game crater.

McCain has somewhat proven that you can continually find little guards that can score the rock, but unless you have a reliable tier 1 type of guy then you're wasting your time by not doing everything in your power to find one whether that be tanking or trading for one.

[stormi]

idk but personally I think you should keep your good players.

Maxey has won us playoff games. Plural. Thats hard to come by imo

Is it though?

We've seen teams built around guys like Kemba Walker and Demar Derozan before. Derozan was established the king pretender #1 option and even that was with a resume of the alpha of multiple 50 win teams / playoff series wins and an ECF appearance.

This is a favorable association where 16/30 teams are qualifying for the playoffs and now 20/30 are qualifying for pseudo-postseason basketball.

A #1 option Maxey team as we've seen scattered across multiple seasons now isn't even a play-in team.

I'm not even co-signing whatever nut ass proposals 76ciology was terrorizing this thread with, but let's not turn this place into an echo chamber where it's a crime to yearn for more from this poverty organization.

[the_process]

idk but personally I think you should keep your good players.

Maxey has won us playoff games. Plural. Thats hard to come by imo

Is it though?

We've seen teams built around guys like Tobias Harris / Kemba Walker and Demar Derozan before. Derozan was the king pretender #1 option and even that was with a resume of the alpha of multiple 50 win teams / playoff series wins and an ECF appearance.

This is a favorable association where 16/30 teams are qualifying for the playoffs and now 20/30 are qualifying for pseudo-postseason basketball.

A #1 option Maxey team as we've seen scattered across multiple seasons now isn't even a play-in team.

I'm not even co-signing whatever nut ass proposals 76ciology was terrorizing this thread with, but let's not turn this place into an echo chamber where it's a crime to yearn for more from this poverty organization.

Precisely on all points.

[the_process]

Also, our biggest problem is our TRASH supporting cast. A Maxey led team can win games if you surround him with guys who can actually make open shots.

Hasn't happened yet, and not seeing it.

[Mik317]

yes you trade Maxey for a better player...that should go without saying. There are like 5 truly untradeable players in the league.

But I am not in a rush to do so. The teams failure to win with him as the number one guy is more about the team than him IMO. The winning a playoff game thing is what separates him from Tobias and Kemba too imo. Like Biid, Maxey needs specific things to play at his best...mainly a guy that defenses have to respect just long enough for his speed to make things tricky. Without Biid, we don't have that most of the time, in the Brooklyn game, it was McCain's gravity that made it hard to zero in on Maxey. Saw it again in the Suns game with a hampered PG. In prior seasons sans Biid, you also saw it via Harden. He can't be the ONLY option/threat but again thats like only 5 guys who can.

No interested in trading a 24 year old who again has won us playoff games for pick packages for the chance at maybe drafting another one. The wrong lesson to take from the process is that in order to be good you need superstars only and everyone else can just be churned until you get like 5 of them. The MCW trade taught the wrong lesson and people are always so desperate to get ahead of some nebulous value imo.

regardless like Biid, Maxey's contract is hard to match thanks to the new CBA anyway so all of this is moot

[Arsenal]

Also, our biggest problem is our TRASH supporting cast. A Maxey-led team can win games if you surround him with guys who can actually make open shots.

Hasn't happened yet, and not seeing it.

The roster around Maxey when Jo is out has been straight garbage. Can't make judgments based on that.

[Iverson Armband]

I think people are operating under the assumption that Maxey is “still getting better”. I’d argue it’s damn near a miracle he’s even this good and I think his progression has now plateaued. I think it’s pretty safe to say he is what he is now at year 5. It’s unreasonable to think he’s still going to add these remarkable leaps to this game every year just because he’s done it before.

Maxey is 24. If he was a rookie like Knecht or 2nd year player nobody would be saying that he’s still getting better. He’d be rightfully labeled as about a finished product.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

If Maxey as a 25-30 ppg efficient scorer in this league is a finished product then why trade that just to trade? There are players I would trade Maxey for, but those guys (Cade Cunningham, Haliburton) are not available right now. Trading him for picks is short sighted as well. Trading him for a 12-14 year veteran is beyond stupid. You want equal value for him if you're even considering doing this and even then you run the risk of doing nothing more than a lateral move. It would have to be the perfect situation/scenario and I don't currently see too many of them.

[mjkvol]

idk but personally I think you should keep your good players.

Maxey has won us playoff games. Plural. Thats hard to come by imo

Is it though?

We've seen teams built around guys like Kemba Walker and Demar Derozan before. Derozan was established the king pretender #1 option and even that was with a resume of the alpha of multiple 50 win teams / playoff series wins and an ECF appearance.

This is a favorable association where 16/30 teams are qualifying for the playoffs and now 20/30 are qualifying for pseudo-postseason basketball.

A #1 option Maxey team as we've seen scattered across multiple seasons now isn't even a play-in team.

I'm not even co-signing whatever nut ass proposals 76ciology was terrorizing this thread with, but let's not turn this place into an echo chamber where it's a crime to yearn for more from this poverty organization.

I've never been a fan of trading good home grown players who want to be great here, because that's something that can't be overlooked as a place great players aren't pining away to come and play. My days of emotional attachment to players was over 35-40 years ago with the '80's Sixers, but I still want to 'like' the team I'm rooting for. Maxey is an incredibly easy guy to like.

Having said that, if a legitimate trade was possible improving the team that meant moving Maxey, I'd be in support of it. But Giannis, Luka, or Jokic aren't being dangled and won't be anytime soon. Bringing in a guy like Jimmy Butler at this point would be a Sixers thing to do, and would only result in one more aging, oft-injured max contract on the books while Riley and Spo got to a Finals next season with Maxey.

[76ciology]

If Maxey as a 25-30 ppg efficient scorer in this league is a finished product then why trade that just to trade? There are players I would trade Maxey for, but those guys (Cade Cunningham, Haliburton) are not available right now. Trading him for picks is short sighted as well. Trading him for a 12-14 year veteran is beyond stupid. You want equal value for him if you're even considering doing this and even then you run the risk of doing nothing more than a lateral move. It would have to be the perfect situation/scenario and I don't currently see too many of them.

When evaluating a player, you can’t just assess them in isolation—you need to consider the overall team structure and its direction.

Take the Cavaliers as an example. They traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, not because they aren’t high on Wiggins, but because Love’s skill set fit perfectly alongside Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to complete their Big 3. It was about constructing a team rather than focusing solely on individual talent.

I’m not here to downplay Maxey, but the truth is that players like him are replaceable. Look at Jared McCain—his performance suggests he could surpass Maxey’s level by the time he reaches Maxey’s age. This isn’t to discredit Maxey’s contributions but rather to emphasize that building a team requires tough decisions based on fit and long term strategy, not just individual evaluation.

[76ciology]

Regarding Jimmy Butler, I’m not saying he’s the only option. There are two other players I’m considering who, in my opinion, would fit our team’s needs and timeline. These players—Giannis and Steph—could become possibilities if their teams decide to rebuild after a significant decline.

[Mik317]

we've won 3 games and Biid is probably trending towards being shut down...

not sure we are in the market for trading Maxey lol

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

If Maxey as a 25-30 ppg efficient scorer in this league is a finished product then why trade that just to trade? There are players I would trade Maxey for, but those guys (Cade Cunningham, Haliburton) are not available right now. Trading him for picks is short sighted as well. Trading him for a 12-14 year veteran is beyond stupid. You want equal value for him if you're even considering doing this and even then you run the risk of doing nothing more than a lateral move. It would have to be the perfect situation/scenario and I don't currently see too many of them.

When evaluating a player, you can’t just assess them in isolation—you need to consider the overall team structure and its direction.

Take the Cavaliers as an example. They traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, not because they aren’t high on Wiggins, but because Love’s skill set fit perfectly alongside Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to complete their Big 3. It was about constructing a team rather than focusing solely on individual talent.

I’m not here to downplay Maxey, but the truth is that players like him are replaceable. Look at Jared McCain—his performance suggests he could surpass Maxey’s level by the time he reaches Maxey’s age. This isn’t to discredit Maxey’s contributions but rather to emphasize that building a team requires tough decisions based on fit and long term strategy, not just individual evaluation.

Ok, but we have two dynamic backcourt players.
We have a small sample size of what the two of them together can do. People are suggesting we trade Maxey just because McCain has given us some good games. I'm personally more intrigued about the two of them potentially as a backcourt. They have the making of what could be a heck of a combo. You obviously need other talent around them. It remains to be seen what George Joel give us. Joel George is missing in all of this. We also could be in the running for a top 3 pick in the draft. I don't like how this season started, but I'm very interested in what the M&M show is going to do moving forward.

[76ciology]

Sixers Receive:
De’Anthony Melton
Kevon Looney
Warriors 2025 1st round pick

Warriors Receive:
Eric Gordon
Kelly Oubre
Andre Drummond

Reason: Warriors compete, Sixers tank.