After six years in charge, Daryl Morey has been fired as the president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers, the team has announced (Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the news).
The firing comes days after the 76ers were swept out of the playoffs by the New York Knicks, losing the four games in the series by an average of 22.5 points. It was a reminder of how far this team is away from contending for a title (despite Philly upsetting the Boston Celtics in the first round).
Nick Nurse will remain as the team’s head coach, the team confirmed. Former Warriors general manager and the architect of their championship teams, Bob Myers — who works for team owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer as the president of sports of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment — will lead the search to replace Morey and serve as the head of basketball operations in the interim.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Daryl personally and professionally, and I’m grateful for his contributions over the last six seasons,” Harris said in a statement announcing the firing. “After speaking with Daryl, we determined that it was time for a fresh start. Bob Myers will lead the process of identifying a new leader and I believe his experience in constructing four NBA championship teams will be a valuable resource to our organization.
“To our fans, your frustration and disappointment are understandable and warranted. We have fallen well short of our own expectations and failed to deliver in the way this city deserves. That bothers me deeply and I have confidence in Bob to establish a path forward for our franchise.”
Morey had a 270-212 record in his six years in charge of the 76ers, with the team making the playoffs in five of those years. However, the 76ers never advanced past the second round in his tenure. He inherited a team with Joel Embiid and a rookie point guard named Tyrese Maxey, and his big moves were to get James Harden and — when he forced his way out — signing Paul George. He also drafted breakout rookie VJ Edgecombe No. 3 last year.
There had reportedly been tension between Embiid and Morey, something exacerbated by the trade of Jared McCain to Oklahoma City to get under the luxury tax line (a move likely ordered by ownership) while no additions were made to boost the team for a playoff run.
Whoever takes over as the head of the 76ers’ basketball operations faces some serious challenges.
The Maxey and Edgecombe backcourt is clearly the future, but the playoffs showed that this team is better with a rested, healthy Embiid on the court. The problem is Embiid, 32, has a lengthy history of injuries and started to wear down in the playoffs when the games became every other day — Embiid has not played in six straight games since December of 2023. More than that, Embiid is guaranteed $188.3 million over the next three seasons, making him virtually untradable without attaching young players and picks. Paul George is guaranteed $54.1 million next season and has a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28. It’s going to be very difficult for any person in charge of the 76ers to change the core of this team for at least a year.
Someone is going to be tasked with turning the 76ers around, and the search for that new head of basketball operations is underway in Philadelphia.
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