Tyrese Maxey

The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets reportedly engaged in trade talks centered on James Harden and Ben Simmons earlier Thursday morning ahead of the 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported talks have centered on what assets the Sixers are willing to include beside Simmons. The Sixers have been "adamant" about not including guard Tyrese Maxey and forward Matisse Thybulle in the deal.

Simmons has not played a game this season after requesting a trade in the offseason. He's cited mental-health concerns for the reason he's refused to play but has nonetheless been fined over $20 million in salary.

Harden has missed the Nets' last three games with a hamstring injury as rumors have swirled about his desire to leave Brooklyn barely a year after his arrival.

Seth Curry is reportedly the "most likely" Philadelphia 76ers player to get included in a potential Ben Simmons-for-James Harden blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reported Wednesday there hasn't been "much headway" made between the sides with the Sixers standing pat in their assertion neither Tyrese Maxey nor Matisse Thybulle will be included in any deals before the deadline.

The Simmons situation continues to hover over the Sixers, who've tried to thread the needle between trying to remain competitive this season without backing down on their asking price for the three-time All-Star, who's yet to play during the 2021-22 campaign.

Philadelphia has been steadfast in its desire to land a top-tier player in return for the 25-year-old LSU product. Harden would certainly qualify, but the Nets also have to protect their investment after giving up numerous assets for the 2017-18 MVP last January.

In turn, it's more likely that type of high-profile deal could be swung in the offseason, but that could hamstring the Sixers in their efforts to upgrade the roster over the next few days.

Neubeck noted the 76ers are exploring their options ahead of the deadline, but the dust could settle with them featuring the "same group that suited up for a battle" for Tuesday's clash with the Phoenix Suns.

That's not the worst outcome for Philadelphia since it's 32-22 and trending toward a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Whether it's a true title contender with the current group is up for debate, though.

Head coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday the team is looking at potentially adding a point guard and/or a post player, but nothing is set in stone.

"I mean, we may do nothing, obviously," Rivers told reporters. "And you can only do something if there's something there. That's clearly something we're looking for—[a point guard] and size."

Curry could be an attractive trade chip in those talks. He's averaging 15 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, including 40 percent on threes, across 45 appearances this season.

The 31-year-old guard is under contract for next season, however, so it goes back to whether the Sixers want to make a serious push toward a championship this season or merely see how far their group can go this year with an eye on all-in roster upgrades over the summer.

All things considered, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Sixers either stand pat or make a very minor deal for a veteran reserve point guard to keep their entire core intact.

The Philadelphia 76ers will not include guard Tyrese Maxey in any potential deal for Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, per Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS Sports on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported that the 76ers are expected to engage the Nets in trade conversations surrounding Harden, an impending free agent, and Philadelphia guard Ben Simmons, who has sat all season following an offseason trade request.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m. ET.

Charania mentioned that the 76ers have a "chest of role players in Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle that could sweeten a potential package."

It appears Maxey won't be part of a deal based on the Kaskey-Blomain report, however.

John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia notably reported similar sentiments earlier in the day:

The second-year pro out of Kentucky has averaged 16.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds this year. He's been the team's primary ball-handler sans Simmons.

The 21-year-old has turned it on of late, averaging 27.5 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds in his last two games. He notably dropped 33 points in a 122-119 overtime win over the scorching-hot Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 31.

Thanks in part to Maxey, Philadelphia is in the thick of the Eastern Conference race, going 31-20 through 51 games and sitting third in the league heading into Friday.

The NBA All-Star Game's Rising Stars event has a new format this season, but it will be equally as exciting as in year's past with LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham and more set to compete. 

Member's of the NBA's 75th anniversary team and assistant coaches for the All-Star Game will comprise the coaching staff for each Rising Stars team. The honorary coaches from the 75th anniversary team are Rick Barry, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy and Gary Payton. 

Overall, 28 players were selected for the Rising Stars event: 12 rookies, 12 sophomores and four players from the G League Ignite. Those players have since been separated into four seven-player teams and will compete in a three-game, single-elimination mini-tournament.

Each game will be played to a final target score, with Games 1 and 2 played until 50 points and Game 3 played to 25 points. It is considered a "Race to 75" to celebrate the league's 75th season.

Here is a look at the players competing in the event, which teams they were drafted to, and some players to watch. 

Rising Stars Selections

Rookies

• Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
• Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
  
• Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers
  
• Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
  
• Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
  
• Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
  
• Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
  
• Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
  
• Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
  
• Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
  
• Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
  

Sophomores

• Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
  
• Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
  
• LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
  
• Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
  
• Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons
  
• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
  
• Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings
  
• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
  
• Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
  
• Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
  
• Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
  
• Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets
  

G League Ignite

• MarJon Beauchamp
  
• Dyson Daniels
  
• Jaden Hardy
  
• Scoot Henderson
  

Team Barry

• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
• Dyson Daniels, G League Ignite
• Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Isaac Okoro, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
• Jae'Sean Tate, Houston Rockets
• Franz Wagner, Orlando magic

Team Isiah

• Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors
• Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
• Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons
• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings
• Jaden Hardy, G League Ignite
• Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons

Team Worthy

• Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic
• MarJon Beauchamp, G League Ignite
• Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
• Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
• Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
• Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic

Team Payton

• LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
• Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
• Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
• Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers
• Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
• Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings

Players to Watch

While all of these young stars are notable, NBA players to keep an eye on include Ball, Edwards, Maxey, Cunningham and Barnes. 

Ball undoubtedly headlines this group of players. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is averaging 19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from deep through 45 games. His play has helped keep the Hornets in playoff contention, and the team is just 4.5 games behind the first-place Chicago Bulls. 

Edwards has been equally impressive this year, averaging 22.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from deep in 46 games. His play, coupled with that of veteran Karl-Anthony Towns, has the Timberwolves in a playoff position in the talented Western Conference.

Maxey, meanwhile, has emerged as a star for the 76ers with Ben Simmons out of the lineup. The 21-year-old is averaging 16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 47.0 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from deep in 44 games. His significant second-year jump has helped Philly remain one of the best teams in the East, even with Simmons sidelined. 

Barnes also is helping his team fight for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. He's averaging 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from deep in 42 games for the seventh-place Raptors (27-23). 

And while Cunningham is also having an impressive rookie campaign, averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 41 games, the Pistons are one of the worst teams in the East at 12-39. But with Cunningham leading the way, Detroit's future is bright. 

Kevin Durant made his return to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night for the first time in two weeks. Joel Embiid spoiled the party.

Unlike the last time Durant was on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Nets 110-102, led by huge performances from Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

That spoiled a big night from Durant, who did everything he could to get the win but fell just short, and James Harden's triple-double.

During Durant's absence—he last played in a 114-105 win over the Sixers on Dec. 16—the Nets went 2-1 and had three games postponed on account of COVID-19. And it sure looked as though the 23-10 Nets would pick up a third straight win Thursday, too.

But Embiid, Maxey and the 19-16 Sixers had other ideas, pulling away from Brooklyn late in the fourth quarter. Things even got a bit chippy between the teams down the stretch, a carryover from the last matchup.

It was a statement win for a Sixers team that was without head coach Doc Rivers (health and safety protocols).

Key Stats

Joel Embiid, PHI: 34 points, seven rebounds

Tyrese Maxey, PHI: 25 points, seven rebounds

Tobias Harris, PHI: Nine points, 4-of-14 from the field

Kevin Durant, BRK: 33 points, six rebounds

James Harden, BRK: 33 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists

LaMarcus Aldridge, BRK: 12 points, eight rebounds

You Didn't Actually Think Durant Would Be Rusty, Did You?

We're talking about the greatest scorer alive, people. Of course he was going to return with a bang. 

The Nets have been hit hard by COVID-19 this season. The Kyrie Irving situation has left them down a star player and certainly added a bizarre flavor to their campaign. And through it all, they keep on winning, and Durant keeps on scoring. 

There are a lot of worthy MVP candidates to this point in the season. Durant is undoubtedly one of them.

Imagine Embiid with More Help

The Sixers have some solid role players. Curry is a great shooter. Danny Green is a nice two-way player. Matisse Thybulle is one of the NBA's best defenders. Maxey showed yet again on Thursday he is oozing potential. Tobias Harris is overpaid and performed poorly Thursday night, but he'd be a solid third scorer on a contender. 

The issue is that Embiid doesn't have a star running mate, and it's shown all season long. By now it's pretty clear that player is never going to be Ben Simmons, who may never play again for the Sixers anyway. 

Embiid can get this group into the postseason. He's a genuine MVP candidate. He's awesome, and the Nets had no answers for him Thursday.

But imagine him with a true star running mate. Imagine players like Harris, Maxey and Curry being allowed to be role players rather than needing to rotate as the team's second scorer each night. It's a scary thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference if it ever happens. It's a terrifying thought for Sixers fans if it doesn't.

What's Next?

The Nets will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Sixers are off until Monday when they'll host the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. ET.

The New Jersey home of Philadelphia 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey caught fire Friday night, a team official confirmed to Action News.

Maxey and everyone at his home are safe with no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is not known. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. in Voorhees, New Jersey, and firefighters were called for the multi-alarm blaze.

The Sixers are reportedly working with Maxey and his family to ensure they have everything they need.

A second-year guard out of Kentucky, Maxey has made strong improvements in his sophomore season. After averaging 8.0 points per game as a rookie, he ranks third on the team with 17.0. He leads the team with 4.6 assists per contest in 29 games with 28 starts.

Maxey's emergence has provided Philadelphia with an adequate replacement for point guard Ben Simmons, who has yet to play this season.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons said at the beginning of the year that he was "not mentally ready" to play with the team. He had requested to be traded prior to the season, but the Sixers have been unable to find a deal for him.

Philadelphia is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 16-16 record. The Sixers will return to action Sunday in a road matchup against the Washington Wizards. It is not yet known whether the fire will affect Maxey's status for the game.