Tyrese Maxey says he thought Miami Heat would draft him

Imagine a trio of Tyrese Maxey, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro all playing alongside each other, connecting three different John Calipari-coached teams to one NBA franchise. We’ve seen plenty of former Wildcats team up at the next level over the years to form dangerous tandems, but none would have been able to match the overwhelming young talent those three would have produced.

Unfortunately, we’re only two-thirds of the way to that reality. Adebayo and Herro both play for the Miami Heat, while Maxey is with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, there was a moment where all signs pointed toward those three teaming up down in South Beach.

According to an interview between Maxey and Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports published Thursday, the now second-year NBA guard thought he was going to be drafted by Miami.

“I thought Miami would take me at No. 20,” Maxey told Haynes. “Look, I was blessed and happy to be drafted, first and foremost. I thank the Lord every day for this opportunity. It was my dream to be drafted. But also looking at it as a competitor, I felt like I was good enough to be drafted at a higher position. When teams pass up on you, you never forget about it.”

A @YahooSports exclusive with Sixers young star @TyreseMaxey on draft disappointment, a lesson he learned, and facing Miami, one of the teams he thought would select him: ‘You never forget about it.’ https://t.co/3jH7wmItCl

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 12, 2022

Instead, Miami drafted former Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa, who played one season with the Heat before being traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Maxey would fall just one more spot to No. 21 before the 76ers scooped him up with what was arguably the steal of the entire draft, which also saw the likes of Immanuel Quickley (No. 25; New York Knicks) and Desmond Bane (No. 30; Memphis Grizzlies) show immediate signs of promise. If NBA teams were to do a re-draft, Maxey is likely a top-five pick alongside the likes of Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Tyrese Haliburton.

Later in the interview with Haynes, Maxey admits he thought that one of three teams would eventually take him: the San Antonio Spurs at No. 11, the Orlando Magic at No. 15, or the Heat at No. 20. Regrettably, for those three teams, they would all pass on him.

“Miami, Orlando and San Antonio. Those were the three teams I thought would draft me,” Maxey added. “When I started slipping, I was upset, but I kept reminding myself that my dream of getting drafted was coming true.”

Considering the Miami front office is led by former Kentucky player and legendary NBA coach Pat Riley — who has said in the past he prefers drafting UK guys — it was shocking for most to not see Maxey land there.

Following a potential-filled rookie campaign in 2020-21, Maxey broke out in 2021-22 with Philly as a sophomore, averaging 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per outing across 75 games played (74 starts). The 21-year-old shot 48.5 percent from the floor, 42.7 percent from distance, and 86.6 percent from the free-throw line while playing over 35 minutes per contest.

The 76ers are actually in the midst of an Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the Heat, although Miami holds a 3-2 lead with a pivotal Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. Maxey is averaging 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 11 playoff games so far while playing 40-plus minutes each night.