"Not our first rodeo": Tyrese Maxey shares stunning perspective on his mentor James Harden following trade request saga

Tyrese Maxey talked about how the team is handling the current situation with James Harden in an SB Nation's "Liberty Ballers" article written by Paul Hidrick.

"It's crazy to say this, but it's not our first rodeo, honestly," Maxey said. "That's funny to say, but that's life. James is his own individual, and he's able to do whatever he pleases. I'm preparing right now to play with him or without him ... and I love James.

"If James decided he's going to come back and play for us, there's nobody in this organization that would be upset about that."

When Maxey mentioned the Harden situation being on familiar ground, he was referring to what happened between the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons. It was another incident that involved a complicated tension between the two parties as Simmons wanted to be traded somewhere else.

The Sixers organization is no stranger to drama as it seeks a championship.

As it does so, it's in the middle of a conflicted relationship with James Harden after his viral comments aimed at Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey during a promotional tour with Adidas in China.

The conflict stemmed after the Sixers ended trade talks regarding James Harden's request after he opted into his player option in the offseason. This was done after both parties agreed that the Sixers front office would find a trade destination for Harden.

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Sixers star Joel Embiid on James Harden's trade request before debacle with Daryl Morey and team front office

Before the fallout of James Harden's public comments toward Daryl Morey, Joel Embiid talked with Showtime's Rachel Nichols about his reaction to his teammate's trade request.

"We're going (to) be boys forever," Embiid said, "want him to come back obviously, so we can go out and accomplish what we want, which is to win a championship. So, hopefully, his mindset can be changed."

During James Harden's two seasons with the Sixers, he averaged 21.0 points (43.1% shooting, including 37.0% from 3-point range), 10.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game.

However, after the recent events between the 10-time All-Star and the Sixers' front office, Joel Embiid has yet to make any comments on the matter.

Concerning the ongoing drama with Harden, Tyrese Maxey remains level-headed on his teammate's wishes, as per the SB Nation's "Liberty Ballers" article.

"I will say this about the situation: to each his own," Maxey said. "James, he's a professional and he's doing something for a reason. You just kind of have to sit back and understand what he's doing as a friend.

"But then as a teammate and someone as a part of an organization I'm with right now, you have to prepare for whether James is going to be there or not going to be there. That's just the nature of it."

With the questionable situation headed for the Sixers' 2023-24 season, it'll be interesting to see how the dynamic of the team plays out.