Takeaways on Morey's track record leading Sixers' front office
Sixers owner Josh Harris and HBSE President Bob Myers will speak to the media 4 p.m. Thursday to discuss the firing of Daryl Morey and the future of the team. Watch below:
Daryl Morey’s six-year run leading the Sixers’ front office was certainly eventful.
With Morey out and the Sixers searching for his replacement, let’s run through his tenure and a few takeaways:
No shortage of bargain signings
It would be a stretch to label all veteran-minimum contract signings “zero risk.” Those players still take up roster spots and it’s natural to expect the occasional hit.
Still, Morey’s front office was unquestionably good at adding low-cost veterans. Andre Drummond (2021), Kelly Oubre Jr. (2023) and Guerschon Yabusele (2024) all signed minimum-salary deals, took on significant roles and played quite well relative to their salaries.
Morey also picked up multiple young players who ultimately stepped into rotation spots. Justin Edwards, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker are recent examples of two-way signings who went on to earn standard NBA contracts.
Deadline disappointments
The Sixers had several important trade deadlines that didn’t pan out as the team hoped.
Aiming to improve the Sixers’ chances of deep playoff success, Morey made deals for George Hill in 2021, Jalen McDaniels in 2023 and Buddy Hield in 2024. There was decent logic behind all the moves, but none of those players helped in the postseason the way the Sixers envisioned.
At his last deadline, Morey traded Jared McCain to the Thunder for draft picks and didn’t think any worthwhile deal for a player was available.
Those picks — No. 22 overall in this draft, one second-rounder in 2027, and two second-rounders in 2028 — will now belong to Morey’s replacement.
“We thought that the draft picks we got would help us more in the future — and could’ve helped us this deadline,” Morey said in February. “The picks we got were offered to many teams and nothing materialized for a player that we thought could move the needle with those picks now. But we feel like going forward, those picks will help us build the team in the future in a good way.”
Harden-centric star trades
Morey waited out two unpleasant trade request sagas. He executed a swap centered around Ben Simmons and James Harden in 2022, then shipped a discontented Harden to the Clippers the next year.
All things considered, it’s hard to be highly critical of Morey’s ultimate haul in either trade. The contentiousness, rumors and uncertainty weren’t fun for anyone involved, but Morey was right to be patient. At a minimum, neither trade truly derailed the Sixers.
Not much gained from open roster spots
Morey liked to leave a roster slot or two open for the sake of in-season flexibility.
The broad philosophy is fine, but the Sixers didn’t get great value from their midseason buyout signings. Kyle Lowry (2024) and Cameron Payne (2026) were buyout contributors during the Morey era. Other signings included veterans Anthony Tolliver, DeAndre Jordan, Dewayne Dedmon and Lonnie Walker IV.
Of course, when you cut an extra player or two before a season, that generally means a little less investment in your team’s youth. The Sixers waived Isaiah Joe before the 2023-23 season and the Thunder were glad to grab him.
Outstanding draft nights
When draft night came around, the Sixers’ front office tended to shine under Morey.
At the moment, Tyrese Maxey (21st), McCain (16th) and VJ Edgecombe (third) all look like high-quality first-round selections. And we’d view Joe (49th), Paul Reed (58th), Charles Bassey (53rd) and Adem Bona (41st) as above-average second-rounders.
The Sixers also fared well with draft-night trades, including moves that landed Danny Green, Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton.
Big-money commitments
The Sixers pushed many of their chips in on the trio of Joel Embiid, Maxey and Paul George during the 2024 offseason.
According to Spotrac, Embiid is set to make approximately $58 million next season. George’s 2026-27 salary is about $54.1 million, Maxey’s $40.8 million.
The Sixers’ current core has obvious strengths and weaknesses. Embiid and George’s irregular availability the last two seasons clearly complicates any hypothetical trade proposals.
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