Daryl Morey is officially out as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers. A search will be led by Bob Myers to find the next organizational leader. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the worst moves Morey made in his Philadelphia tenure.
James Harden was a direct influence in all of these moves, and that whole situation is an entirely different conversation. To start off the signings, let’s take a look at the individual stats for each of them in Philadelphia. PJ Tucker averaged 3.5/4.0/0.8 in 78 games as a 76er. Surprisingly, he was the most productive of the three. The other two players combined for roughly 150 games, with lackluster performances off the bench.
Morey signing these players to please Harden was an issue, particularly given their poor performances. Unfortunately for Philadelphia fans, he didn’t just sign them; Morey tampered to get them. The team was stripped of its 2023 and 2024 second-round draft picks. That doesn’t seem like much, but drafting in the second round was Morey’s best trait during his Philadelphia tenure.
Johni Broome was one of the best college basketball players in the country, but it was obvious it wouldn’t translate to the NBA. Morey saw this and was quick to scoop him up in the early second round. He was sandwiched between two talented rookie big men, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Maxine Raynaud. Both of those players would be key contributors on the 76ers.
Trading Jared McCain may not have been entirely Morey’s fault, with it looking like ownership wanted to save more money. Even if that’s the case, Morey is the one who pulled the trigger on trading a second-year player who looked like a key portion in the team’s future. Doing this deal derailed whatever hopes the team had this season, and it was evident when players were questioned after being eliminated.
Matisse Thybulle was a fan favorite during his entire tenure with the 76ers. The decision to trade him was expected at the time, but the return never made sense. Jalen McDaniels averaged 6.7 points in just 24 games in Philadelphia. He was out of the league after the 24-25 season. Thybulle is still one of the premier defenders in the league for the Portland Trailblazers.
Morey had to go, and the search for a new leader will be an extremely important one in Philadelphia. Nick Nurse is retained as Head Coach, so finding a new roster builder will be the only change.
The 76ers have just seven players under contract next season. Outside of pick 22 in the upcoming NBA draft, the roster will need to be built via trades and free agency. There are some interesting targets out there to maximize this team’s potential in the near future.
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