Other than the team's search for a new head coach, John Mitchell of The Inquirer notes another lingering issue hanging over the 76ers franchise, specifically the uncertain status of GM Tony DiLeo – whose contract is set to expire in less than two months. Majority owner Josh Harris, who is currently working with DiLeo to find Doug Collins' replacement, didn't seem very commital when asked about DiLeo's future:
“I believe that we certainly made decisions that we all can learn from last year and things didn’t work out – so everything is on the table…We’re going to be looking at all aspects of the organization in trying to bring a winner to Philly. So that’s the way I would answer that.”
Last summer, DiLeo was promoted to general manager after Harris' efforts to hire an analytics-oriented candidate – such as Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren – were rebuffed by Collins, whose opinion was very highly regarded by team ownership prior to this season. Mitchell notes that not having a full commitment to the general manager could have lasting implications on their next head coaching hire, especially if DiLeo isn't retained. The logic behind that is that if a new coach is named and DiLeo is eventually let go, the new GM may not have the same preference for the head coach as the others who made the choice.