Philadelphia 76ers: Trade Tyrese Maxey for Donovan Mitchell? No thanks!

After trading away Rudy Gobert, it only felt like a matter of time before Donovan Mitchell, too, would work his way out of Utah.

Now granted, for a time, the team denied what others considered to be inevitable; the Jazz were “all-in” on Mitchell and intended on building their almost Rookie of the Year, but with one Woj Bomb, that all changed.

Friends, consider Utah out of the Mitchell business.

Though there’s no guarantee where Mitchell will end up or when he will be traded – he may have to end up wearing those brutal Highlighter Yellow jerseys – the chances of the Louisville product remaining Utah’s franchise player appears to be done.

But where will he end up? Will the New York Knicks trade some of their assets to boast a backcourt of Jalen Brunson and Mitchell? Or how about the Miami Heat, who may view Mitchell as a more attainable alternative to Kevin Durant?

What about the Philadelphia 76ers? Would they have any interest in Ben Simmons’ one-time rival? Well, considering any deal for Mitchell would likely require Tyrese Maxey plus picks, plus players to fill out the deal, the answer is – and should be- a resounding no.

Tyrese Maxey is a better fit on the Philadelphia 76ers than Donovan Mitchell.

Tyrese Maxey has a lot going for him when compared to Donovan Mitchell. He’s younger, signed to a way cheaper contract, and is a much more efficient scorer around the rim, from the field as a whole, and from beyond the arc specifically too. Though Maxey’s points per game averages aren’t quite as impressive as Mitchell’s, that has more to do with the fact that he’s never been the focal point of an offense allowed to operate carte blanche.

Outside of the rare game where he was thrust into an artificially expanded role – most notably the Seven Sixers game – Maxey has largely been used as the Sixers’ third offensive option behind Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and eventually James Harden and thus had to become a more disciplined scorer as a result.

Now granted, could Mitchell slot into that same role as Maxey paired up with Harden and Embiid? Sure, but his points per game averages would likely look like Maxey’s too, which sort of defeats the purpose of making a trade in the first place.

Factor in that Mitchell isn’t much of a floor spacer – largely because he never needed to be – and he’s, like, a really bad defender, and the prospects of cashing out on Maxey’s potential for “Spida Mitchell’s” present just doesn’t make any sense.

If the Sixers want to pursue a trade for someone like Patrick Beverley, Bojan Bogdanović, or even Jordan Clarkson that’s one thing, but other than that, probably best not to busy up Danny Ainge’s phone line – something tells me he’s going to be using it.

Should the Philadelphia 76ers continue to look for ways to upgrade their team? 100 percent; while the overall cohesion of the roster is much better than in 2021-22, the roster could always use some additional depth or a few more two-way performers with extensive playoff experience. But pursuing a trade just for the sake of pursuing a trade would be foolish, especially if it requires trading away a franchise pillar like Tyrese Maxey for a player who may not even be an upgrade.