“Doc Rivers looked at my eyes and said, ‘That will never happen”‘:  John Calipari on seeking assurance from the Sixers coach regarding Tyrese Maxey being packaged in a deal with Ben Simmons

Kentucky coach John Calipari assures Sixers fans of Tyrese Maxey not being traded in a package deal with Ben Simmons. 

It won’t be wrong to say that Ben Simmons is Philadelphia’s biggest problem right now, and it extends beyond the Sixers organization. With the trade deadline a few hours away, rumors of Simmons trade have been fueling. Reportedly, the Brooklyn Nets are the top suitors for acquiring the former ROTY.

In light of the trade rumors around Simmons, Kentucky coach John Calipari reached out to Doc Rivers. Calipari seemed worried about the Sixers dealing Tyrese Maxey in a package deal with Simmons. However, Doc Rivers assured the Kentucky head coach of no such deals involving Maxey.

Maxey made his debut in the NBA coming off the bench. The 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, selected by the Sixers, Maxey has proved to be a blessing for the Sixers fans. The 21-year old point guard has filled in for Simmons, making the starting lineup for the Philly team.

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Maxey has been a great aid to MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid. With the trade deadline only a few hours away, Maxey’s Kentucky coach Calipari wanted to seek assurance from coach Doc.

John Calipari shares a positive update on Tyrese Maxey.

Despite being mired with controversies, the Sixers have managed to pull through. Currently, ten games above +500, the Philly fans have one more reason to enjoy with Embiid being the front runner for this season’s MVP. Though they don’t have their All-Star point guard in Simmons present, the supporting cast has stepped up its game.

The likes of Maxey, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle have kept the Philly team on track. In his sophomore year, Maxey is averaging 16.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, shooting 47.1% from the field, and almost 40% from the 3-point line.

Calipari, who had coached Maxey during his days in Kentucky, was disappointed with the point guard not being selected as a lottery pick.

“I thought he should have gone earlier,” Calipari said. “Let me just tell you, there’s a lot of people who are going to regret that they passed. There are about eight positions that they’re going to look back a few years from now and say, ‘Look where he went and where he could have gone.”‘

While talking on the 94 WIP Morning Show, Maxey said the following.

“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.”

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The former Kentucky guard has shown vast improvement in his second year with the Sixers, having an increase in minutes during the absence of Simmons.