Rich Paul said Friday morning that if the Philadelphia 76ers have a real draw for LeBron James, it starts with Tyrese Maxey. That was the clearest sign yet that Maxey is not just part of the conversation around James' next move, but the first name Paul reaches for when the Sixers come up.
The exchange came on an episode of the "Game Over" podcast, where Max Kellerman asked Paul whether Maxey is the main selling point for James joining the Sixers. Paul did not hesitate. "If there is a draw from the Philadelphia 76ers, of course it starts with Tyrese Maxey, absolutely," he said. "If you talk to people around the organization, since he's now the face of that organization, it's changed." He added, "That's a positive, for sure."
That matters because James and Maxey share the same representation through Klutch Sports and its CEO, Rich Paul, and the Sixers have been cast as one of the strongest possible landing spots for James. Earlier this week, Shams Charania said the Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat appear to be the three strongest contenders for James' services, while Bob Myers spent 90 minutes on Wednesday's episode of "Game Over" walking through parts of the Sixers' pitch.
Paul also made clear that Maxey is not the only thing Philadelphia can sell. He said that if James is the player being asked about, the draw has to begin with Maxey, "But that's not the only thing." Paul pointed to the appeal of playing with Joel Embiid and newly-acquired Jaylen Brown for James, which keeps the pitch from being reduced to one player and one argument. The Sixers are not trying to recruit James with a single headline; they are offering a package.
The friction is that the package still depends on a player who has not said yes to anything. James and Paul are not working on any specific timeline, and that leaves unsigned free agents in limbo because their markets may not move until after James decides. If James does spend his 24th NBA season in Philadelphia, the first selling point may be Maxey, but the final decision will rest on whether that is enough to outweigh the rest of the board.
