When Daryl Morey joined the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the 2020-2021 season, he inherited an imperfect team. Al Horford took up a third of the team’s cap space, Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson were second and third in minutes per game, respectively, the bench was led by Alec Burks (for 18 games) and Furkan Korkmaz, Zhaire Smith had appeared in only seven games after suffering from the dreaded Jones fracture and a severe allergic reaction, and Ben Simmons was injured by the time the playoffs rolled around. The season prior, the Boston Celtics swept the Sixers in the first round that season. The Sixers’ once bright future looked quite a bit dimmer than it had just a few years ago.
Yet, Morey still took the job, immediately flipping Josh Richardson and Al Horford for Seth Curry and Danny Green—albeit at the price of a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, instantly improving the roster surrounding Embiid and Simmons. Morey also made the most impactful draft pick for the Sixers since Embiid, picking an undersized Kentucky guard with the 21st pick in the draft by the name of Tyrese Maxey. Embiid finished second in the MVP race for the first time and led the Sixers to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, a meltdown in the second round against the Atlanta Hawks and the apparent ending of Ben Simmons’s Philadelphia career left Sixers fans dismayed.
With Simmons holding out and Morey refusing to lose value on an All-Star guard, many fans were already calling for Morey’s job. Morey remained steadfast in his patient approach, eventually finding a trade at the deadline for his former star player, James Harden. This was seen as a massive win for Philadelphia at the time as they capitalized on Simmons’s trade value and acquired another costar for Joel Embiid to play next to. For most teams, this is where the story ends.
However, for the Sixers, nothing can be that easy. The relationship between Daryl Morey and James Harden soured after one full season of The Beard with the Sixers. This led to another trade demand for a star guard just two years after Ben’s demand. Morey, after successfully navigating the Simmons saga, continued to employ his patient stance against superstar trade demands, eventually finding a partner in the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers received James Harden and P.J. Tucker, while the Sixers acquired draft picks and multiple soon-to-expire contracts, paving the way for the Sixers to have the most impactful offseason of Joel Embiid’s career.
Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers were quick to capitalize on the opportunity they had created this offseason. They bring back key players from last year, like Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and K.J. Martin. Morey was also able to bring in new players like Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond to provide the Sixers with excellent bench minutes. He also kept both draft picks, acquiring Jared McCain and Adem Bona, and even signed local standout Justin Edwards to a two-way deal. The most notable addition to the roster, the coup de grâce of the offseason, was the signing of nine-time All-Star Paul George away from the Los Angeles Clippers.
While Daryl Morey is not a perfect President of Basketball Operations, and the team still needs to see the results on the court, it is undeniable that he is one of the best in the business. Among NBA Executives who have been active within the last season, only Mitch Kupchak and Danny Ainge have more than Daryl Morey’s 841 career victories (which also ranks 13th all-time for executives). Only Ainge, Kupchak, and Pat Riley have more wins in the playoffs, placing Morey in the upper echelon of NBA Executives.
Many people were quick to criticize Daryl Morey, both fans and media alike, but now that he has successfully pulled off his big plan of retooling the roster for this upcoming season, the praise should be even louder than the criticism.
