The Sixers are at risk of losing their first-round pick in this year’s draft, but president of basketball operations Daryl Morey doesn’t regret including it in a 2020 trade with Oklahoma City, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In the six-player draft-day deal, Morey agreed to send the pick — with top-six protection — to the Thunder as an incentive for taking Al Horford‘s contract. The package he got in return included shooting guard Danny Green, who had two productive years in Philadelphia.
“First off, I feel very good about that trade because it put us in a great spot,” Morey told Pompey. “It was before coach [Nick Nurse] was here, but we were the one-seed going into the playoffs. Usually, that gives you a 40-50% chance to make the finals. So I feel good that we got good value out of that trade. Danny Green was great for us. Seth Curry was [acquired in] a different trade. But anyway, I feel good about that.”
Morey never imagined at the time that the pick would be so valuable five years later. But with the Sixers coming off an injury-filled 24-win season, they desperately need to keep it to add some young talent to their roster.
Philadelphia will have the fifth-best odds heading into the May 12 lottery, creating a 10.5% chance at landing the No. 1 pick and a 42.1% chance of moving into the top four. However, if two or more teams pass them in the lottery, the Sixers will be left empty-handed and OKC will get the pick to add another prospect to its loaded roster.
If the pick doesn’t convey this year, Philadelphia will owe its 2026 first-rounder to the Thunder with top-four protection. It will be top-four protected again in 2027, and Oklahoma City will receive a second-rounder instead if it still doesn’t convey that year.
Pompey points out that the Sixers have few options to improve their roster this summer outside of the draft because of massive contracts for Joel Embiid and Paul George that would be difficult to move because they’re both coming off injury-plagued seasons.
Pompey adds that the Horford deal was understandable at the time because he had just completed a disappointing first season after signing a four-year, $97MM contract in free agency. He proved to be an awkward fit at power forward alongside Embiid and eventually became a very expensive backup center.
Morey also notes that teams are becoming less willing to trade away future first-rounders, but he believes it made sense to send the team’s 2026 pick to Washington in a February deal that brought back Jared Butler and four second-rounders. In a separate trade, he reacquired the Sixers’ second-round pick for this year from Dallas, along with Quentin Grimes, who turned into a late-season surprise.
“That’s going to be a tool for us,” Morey said of the 35th overall pick. “We have 64% odds to have a top pick in this draft. That’ll be another tool. If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks. We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season. We have a whole set of younger players … a lot of tools in our arsenal to upgrade the team, whereas most teams that go into the season with the third-best title odds like we did and have a rough year, [they] don’t have much maneuverability. We feel like we have a lot of maneuverability with our assets going forward and the young players coach developed.”
The Sixers needed to find a way to send Horford packing. That wasn’t really a question at all at the time.
Agreed
Thunder wanted to help 76ers at that time.
The only chance that 76ers win the championship next year is that Embiid starts the season in March.
Embiid only needs to play from March to June
They still wouldnt win because they have Paul George on the roster and he is making a ton of money.
My guy Kev Huerter outplayed Danny Green in the series that derailed that 76ers squad, especially in gm7. Interesting to see if Amen Thompson can end up doing the same to Jimmy Butler in this series/tonight.
Of course he regrets nothing, he is bad at his job and yet idiotic teams keep hiring him. If anyone deserved to be blacklisted out of the NBA, it’s Morey.
2021, just 4 yrs ago
Sixers & nets were top 2 in east
C’s were .500
Cavs 30 games under .500
Things change fast in the nba
This off-season is gonna be a perfect example of that
Daryl Morey is a fraud
1. Morey was praised for his data-driven approach on Paul George contract last year
2.Some believe Morey brought many veterans to build a championship team last year.
3. Some consider Morey as one of the most successful GMs in NBA history by knowing for his innovative approach to the game on player acquisition.
People gave Mat Ishiba a lot of flack, but I much rather have someone that caj admit they were wrong than someone like Daryl Morey who, in his mind is the greatest basketball mind ever and never mad a mistake.
This GM says he has lots of “tools,” yep players are “tools” to him Somehow he hasn’t built much over the last few years with the great tools he’s had so how can we expect anything better?
Morey is CLUELESS…