Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey confirmed during a Monday press conference that he’ll be busy reworking his roster this summer, Dan Gelston of The Associated Press reports.
“We’re not going to have continuity,” Morey said. “We’ll have continuity with our stars and our head coach but we’re going to have a lot of changes this season.”
Morey feels the heat to build a championship roster around his two stars.
“This offseason’s a big one,” Morey said. “I owe it to the fans, to ownership, to everybody, to get this team in a place where we’re competing for championships. We obviously didn’t achieve it this year.”
Joel Embiid is the only two player with a guaranteed contract beyond this season. Tyrese Maxey will be a restricted free agent and is expected to sign a maximum-salary contract.
Beyond that, everything is up for grabs. Morey could have $65MM in cap space to wheel and deal, along with signing free agents. He’s not against signing an aging star, such as Paul George, if one becomes available in the free agent market.
“You have to factor in the age,” Morey said. “We feel like we’re in the window where we have to win now. We’re mostly focused on getting the best players that fit with Joel and Tyrese.”
Morey has some regrets regarding this season, namely that he didn’t have a deep enough roster. The Sixers slid down the standings when Embiid was sidelined for two months after undergoing knee surgery. He wasn’t close to 100% in the postseason when Philadelphia lost to New York in the opening round.
“It can’t be a big focus, how we play without him. We know that team can’t win a championship,” Morey said. “It’s really, how do we manage through it better? I felt like, on me, the depth wasn’t quite there when he was out to win at the level we wanted to win at.”
Here are some other notable tidbits from Morey’s press conference:
- His top priority is to find a wing “who can play and deliver at a high level in the playoffs,” Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic tweets.
- Coach Nick Nurse will be retained. Reserves Paul Reed and Ricky Council IV are also expected to be back, even though their salaries are not guaranteed, Vorkunov adds.
- Though he hasn’t ruled out re-signing Buddy Hield, who was acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, Morey admitted that “the fit was less good than I thought,” per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Hield played sparingly in the first round until Game 6, when he scored 20 points in 21 minutes.
- Maxey’s performances during the regular season and playoffs proved to Morey that he can be the second-best player on a title team, Vorkunov relays in another tweet. “That belief went from high to we’re certain at this point that he can do that,” he said.
Bruce Brown or Caleb Martin. Both would work on this team alongside Embiid and Maxey. Possibly get Brogdan too in a trade?
I really like those names. Brogdan I think is washed though.
I think he can give you perimeter defense, 3PT shooting, and another ball handler. He has a reputation of being hurt but not being difficult like other superstars.
Maxey is second banana.
George is third option
76ers can trade away George when he is 38.
Experienced players trade away.
you think Philly is the only team that wants Brown and Caleb Martin?
You think other teams have 65M in cap space? lol I think they’ll get either one, not both though.
It’s not like Philly is the only one with a large amount of cap space. Detroit does have around $65M in cap space, Utah is pretty close at $55M if they trade Clarkson, Orlando can create between $50-60M. They won’t do so but Toronto can create up to 80M.
The 76ers are at a disadvantage though because Daryl Morey is a liar.
Can’t take anyone seriously who thinks someone would prefer the Pistons over the Sixers.
You think they are worth that ????
Great choices. Both are talented, young, tough and have played alongside great players. Much better than an over the hill, overpaid, big ego type of fading superstar.
Looks like Maxey best turn into a legit star closer sooner rather than later if playing with Embiid and playoff P
Sixers need a legit backup center who at a minimum, and a priority, can deter people from driving to the hoop.
They could use a Drummond reunion.
James Edward Harden Jr. would be a great 3rd star alongside Jojo and Maxey.
Not happening, but they could really use an Al Horford type to back up Embiid.
Agreed.
Paul Reed is not the answer, he clearly isn’t tall enough or good enough to protect the rim and be a solid option off the bench. He needs to go. I would bring Oubre he was a good two player for the Sixers. But besides the obvious George or even Lebron i would seriously consider making a trade for Ingram, a scoring wing with length who can be the 3rd scorer. Also try to find a legitimate 4 to play alongside Embiid.
If there’s one thing you can bank on before the NBA starts the offseason, its Daryl Morey coming out and spewing the biggest load of dog sh*t you’ve ever heard.
Why would you bring back Bball at that salary? Utterly useless in that playoff. Reiterating the fact that the Sixers had no viable backup Center.
Waste of salary imo. Unless they intend to deal him to say Utah?
Don’t trust you to seal the deal, Daryl.
Sixers have plenty cap space. Need to be wise. Don’t have to rush into this.
Not sure Morey is the guy you want at the helm with Embiid and Maxey. He’ll just wind up burning their best years with retreads. Paul George isn’t the answer – his days are in the past as witnessed in their exit. Back page news does win championships.
Doesn’t*
I agree. He’s had enough time to figure out what players to mix with Embid and Maxey and he keeps striking out. Adding old guys like Butler or George is not the answer. Team needs to get younger and faster.
76ers have no choice but to give Paul George max contract. (playoffs age 35-39)
Clippers has offer him 3 years max
George has 1 year left, IMO.
Morey is such a 2k GM it’s laughable. He was hired 2020. Embid, was there at the time, and the team drafted Maxey less than a month later. Now, after 4 years, he vows to build a team around the two of them. Talking about “stars” and some myopic notions of what type of player he might want to add.
What’s he done for 4 years, other than eat well (or at least alot)? His claims to fame (infamy to the rest of the basketball world) are his two tortuous deals involving Harden (neither of which he was even capable of completing on his own, as needed his ownership to step in each time). There is not a single player he brought into the team since 2020 will be in the team’s rotation moving into 2024-2025, and he’s dealt away more draft picks than he’s acquired. So, now with the roster emptied out and all that cap space, that has to change. Anyone can give away 65 mm and get a few good players, but I wouldn’t expect much more than that. A guy capable of real team building wouldn’t have waited 4 years to start.
I dont like Morey but he got the 6ers off the Ben Simmons deal. Thats gotta count for something
If he did do it, sure; but word is that Morey’s contribution to it was colluding with Harden’s people to force the trade request, and he still couldn’t consummate the actual trade. Marks told him hell no. Harris had to call Tsai twice on deadline day to convince Tsai to direct Marks to make the trade. Tsai is a wimp, but honorable at least, he owned the decision, and its likely why Marks still has his job. Simmons trade value was higher earlier in that season before Morey allowed the team to be held hostage to the holdout.
In any event, getting rid of a bad contract still isn’t team building. Which is the real job of a FO chief, and which he says he’s now going to get around to. My guess is that type of (real) work will bore him.
I doubt PG13, Himmy, or Durant come to the Sixers via FA or trade.
Sixers would need to be willing to draft Bronny in the 1st to have any shot at LeBron.
Being that won’t happen either… maybe they could swing a Dejounte Murray trade and sign Miles Bridges.
24.7 and maybe 25M for Bridges. That leaves 15M of the 65M cap space. I would try to retain the rest of the bench. They need a better backup C. I’m out on Paul Reed. Trade him to Utah. Sign Drummond. So keep Oubre, Batum, Melton, Buddy, Cam Payne, Lowry. I’d go back out and try to get Morris back into the fold. You’ll need bodies. Main problem they have is if Embiid takes a breather the bottom falls out. Murray and Bridges are bucket getters tho. Will help take pressure off Maxey.
The problem for the 76ers is they won’t win a title with Embiid as the guy. Talent is there, but I don’t think he has the right makeup for it.
Ranked first as the most ridiculous comment ever spewed.
Oh? so the Sixers are going to blow up the team, and bring in a whole new team to surround Embiid? Isnt that what they do every year?
That has been the Sixers plan since the Process was started. Every year they bring in a new set of players to fail around Embiid.
If Embiid was smart he would force his way out…Sixers have been and are currently a joke of a franchise and everyone knows it.
Having $65 million in cap space means nothing when you have fools running your organization and Morey is on another level of stupid.
I guess it is safe to say they are shaking up the roster with only Embiid, Maxey, and Reed under contract for next season. There is not much trade leverage or options. And since the 76ers did not make the second round of the playoffs Paul Reed’s contract is not guaranteed. 2024 does not have the best pool of unrestricted free agents. First-tier options: George, DeRozan, Bridges, Harden and Siakam. Second-tier: Klay, Monk, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Claxton, and Hartenstein. Third-tier: Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, Naji Marshall, Derrick Jones, Royce O’Neale, Taurean Prince, Dinwiddie, Plumlee, Beasley, Drummond, Gary Trent, and Gary Harris. Not included are the 76ers free agents.
Morey was right to not extend Harden for big money. I don’t think Harden is worth even $20 mill a year, and would be crazy to sign him for more than 2 years at his age.
Yes exactly.
Morey played the 76ers’ cards perfectly. Has Embiid who when healthy is one of the very top dominant players in the league, a great guard Maxey and a wide open roster. The roster isn’t junked up with terrible contracts for mediocre players.