Tyrese Maxey's college coach John Calipari says Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers told him that including Maxey in a Ben Simmons trade "will never happen."
"I love Doc, Doc's my man," Calipari told Angelo Cataldi, Billy King, and the 94WIP Morning Show on Thursday.
"I was worried to trade Ben, they were going to have to move Tyrese. I said, the way they could move him is, 'I'll take Ben, but I gotta have Tyrese.' And I said to Doc, please tell me that's not happening. He said, 'Never happen.' He said, 'Look at my eyes, that will never happen.' So I probably shouldn't say that publicly."
In the same interview, Calipari also said "coaches lie," so this obviously doesn't mean Maxey will 100-percent not be traded, but it is nice to hear for the majority of the Sixers fans, who want the franchise to keep the ascending guard.
Maxey, 21, was the Sixers' 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Kentucky playing for Calipari, where he lasted just one season averaging 14.0 points per game.
Calipari said Philadelphia loves Maxey so much because he can play, he's a great teammate, and he's a good kid. Calipari, explaining how much he loves Maxey's family, also told the story of how he was forced to talk to his grandmother last as her final stamp of approval was needed for Maxey's collegiate basketball choice, which Calipari ultimately received.
Maxey has been one of the NBA's most improved players in his second season, seeing a massive increase in minutes due to Ben Simmons sitting out. With an extra 20 minutes per game, Maxey increased his points per game total from 8.0 16.9, his assists from 2.0 to 4.8, and his effective field-goal percentage from 49.8% to 52.3%.
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Yesterday, a report in The Athletic said that Wizards star Bradley Beal is finally considering his trade options. Beal would be an ideal fit alongside Joel Embiid in a Ben Simmons trade, but the report also stated the Sixers were unwilling to include Maxey in the deal.