Raptors: Would the 76ers include Tyrese Maxey in a Kyle Lowry trade?

Another week and another two-game mini-swoon brings about a fresh batch of rumors involving the Toronto Raptors. Last week, the club was allegedly discussing Andre Drummond. This week, Toronto dropped two straight games, and they have been greeted by speculation claiming Kyle Lowry is eyeing a trade in order to join Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers.

So, is there anything to the rumors? No one apart from Masai Ujiri, Daryl Morey, and some in Lowry’s camp know the truth. Still, where there’s smoke, there’s typically some fire. That’s not to say that the six-time All-Star to the Sixers is necessarily imminent, but Raptors fans may have to face the real possibility of a future without the franchise’s best player of all-time.

Which brings us to Maxey. The 21st overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was being billed as the “steal of the draft” earlier this season and appeared to be a major cog in Philadelphia’s long-term plans. He is averaging 8.4 points per game on 44% shooting this year.

However, the Kentucky product has cooled of late, seeing a drop in minutes in February and two straight DNP’s against Toronto. It’s HIGHLY doubtful they are actively looking to move the 20-year-old rookie, but wouldn’t they have to entertain the idea of including him in a package for an established star as the East leaders go all-in on a title run?

Why the Toronto Raptors would want Tyrese Maxey

There’s probably some fairy tale scenario in which Lowry remains in Toronto through the remainder of his playing days and then takes a post-retirement role with the organization. Short of that, though, there needs to be a plan for the pending free agent who, for as much as he means to the club, likely doesn’t mesh with the core’s development path moving forwards.

If a goodbye is coming, it behooves Ujiri, Bobby Webster and the entire organization to do it the right way. Wouldn’t a trade to Philly achieve that? He’d be returning home to chase a second title with a team where he looks like a pretty ideal fit. Plus, the Lowry-to-Philly reports suggest that it’s the player expressing that interest.

While Lowry’s wishes should represent a major consideration, any trade would obviously, first and foremost, have to suit the Raptors’ interests.

The availability of Maxey, a talented wing scorer who just left his teens this past November, would loom as a potential game-changer. The club would have to seriously weigh the benefit of Lowry anchoring one more playoff run against possibly bringing a future building block into the fold.

Maxey was a dominant player during his college days at Kentucky, and his performance during the early part of the season suggests that he can fill it up at the professional level. Under Nurse tutelage, Maxey could end up becoming a long-term building block for a Toronto team that is still very much a contender.

Why the 76ers would trade Tyrese Maxey to the Raptors

Many Sixers fans will balk at the prospect of dealing Maxey for what is potentially just a few months of Lowry, and rightfully so. It’s a high price to pay before you even begin to factor in the additional depth players who would have to be included to make the incoming and outgoing money match. And you’d be sending him to a division rival, to boot.

As Toronto knows well, mind you, championships tend to mitigate a lot of assumed risk. Philly still boasts a relatively young foundation (Joel Embiid is 26, Ben Simmons is 24), but questions regarding Embiid’s health will always linger and leave the club’s window of contention uncertain.

To that end, sacrificing a future asset in Maxey for a star point guard with a championship pedigree might make sense in a year where the East is so wide open. For now, it might be preferable to put Maxey on the market rather than, say, 23-year-old defensive stopper Matisse Thybulle, who is earning increased trust and minutes in Doc Rivers’ rotation.

The dynamic scorer’s availability could be the difference between Lowry ending his career as a Raptor and wrapping up his decorated tenure ahead of the trade deadline this season. Beyond any first-rounders that would probably land in the high-20’s, Maxey could well be the only realistic trade piece that would pique the interest of the Raptors.