Where the heck is that root even coming from? I do think it needs to be cut, and I think the tree looks small enough that digging it up entirely for a proper root wash and pruning is still possible. Is that the wisest course? I don't know. I am not an arborist, but that's probably what I would do.

I would need a machine to dig it up. It's larger than it looks. I got ripped off by the nursery who charged me over $200 delivery for this tree because I didn't know any better in 2012. So definitely do not want to spend another dollar on it. I think this tree is a perfect candidate for the curdling which I'm not sure how I can save by hand.

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to dig up the receipt to confirm the what maple species it is.

Highly likey it's Acer plantanoides 'Crimson King' but I guess it's plausible you have a hybrid Crimson Sunset.

This particular species is known for aggressive girdling roots. It was widely planted for many decades and has finally started to fall out of favor.

I'm not sure I would invest the time either to move this particular plant. Unless it's still in the bag and you can somehow pull it up then you might be able to handle it but even then it's not really the tree you want to invest in.

Planting material is readily available in your area. Find a desirable cultivar or species plant in a 5 gallon container and in no time it will be the same size and have more desirable traits

I couldn't locate the receipt for this tree purchase. Good points but what I'll try to do is locate the rest of the crown and see if any roots are going the wrong way and will prune them. If it passes over time and I'll replace but until then I'll be patient. I'm just happy I'm learning along the way to avoid future costly mistakes. Thanks everyone.