The Philadelphia 76ers finally got what they wanted ever since their season ended. Publicly making it known that they were interested in signing Paul George, Daryl Morey added the 9-time All-Star to his roster on a four-year $212 million contract a few days ago. And suddenly, the Sixers have turned into a major threat in the East. But it might not have been possible if their rising star, Tyrese Maxey, had not made a huge sacrifice last year. Now that the deal is done, Maxey reflected on the decision that equipped Morey with the cap space to pursue PG13, even though he had no prior connection to the former Clippers star.

Heading into the final season of his 4-year $12.1 million contract last summer, Maxey was eligible to sign a max extension a year ago. But realizing that the team needed more firepower to win, he chose to wait another year and delayed his massive paycheck. It allowed the Sixers to maximize their cap space and sign a max-level superstar this offseason. And that was a brave choice by the player because the max contract was not guaranteed and an injury or a decline in performance last season could’ve taken that opportunity from him.

In an interview with The Inquirer, Maxey revealed his thoughts about playing a major role in bringing PG to Philly. He said, “When we talked about it last year, it’s a trust thing. I trusted [the front office], and I feel like it worked out for us so far. It’s a cool deal.”

“I wasn’t too worried about it. My mind was focused all last season on just trying to find ways to help us win games”. Instead of worrying about the money and future assurances, Maxey trusted Morey to do the right thing and focused strictly on improving what he was good at. Obviously, there were a lot of setbacks throughout the season with Joel Embiid’s major injury and health condition, however, his sacrifice paid off, as he finally agreed to sign a 5-year $204 million extension in principle earlier this week!

Tyrese Maxey is looking forward to teaming up with Paul George

What’s even more commendable about Maxey’s decision was that he had no prior connection to Paul George that would have pushed him to make a sacrifice. About beyond competing on the court with PG, he said, “Not much. We’ve crossed paths just playing against each other, and then being in L.A. sometimes and saying, ‘What’s up?’ I think it will be great to get to know him, great to get to work with him.” That only assures the community that Maxey only had the team’s benefit on his mind, which is quite a positive sign!

More importantly, Maxey is excited to have a teammate on the court who can practically do it all. “He’s a guy who can play so many different styles of basketball. When you can shoot, when you can dribble, when you can iso, when you can post up, and when you can defend — when you can do all those different things, you can play off others, you can play on the ball, and you can create for others — you kind of get plugged in anywhere.”

Just this season, Maxey and Embiid turned into a lethal combo, with Tyrese having an All-Star year averaging 25.9 points and over 6 assists. Now you add Paul George to that equation who averaged 22.6 points and is one of the most lethal two-way players in the league at 34. It is surely a huge upgrade for Philly and hopefully, it will bring them closer to lifting the long-awaited Championship.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.