Daryl

Morey

Morey originally agreed to a five year contract with Philadelphia, so this will add an extra three seasons and keep him around through the 2027-28 season. That just happens to line up with Nick Nurse’s contract. Morey has made big moves since arriving in Philadelphia, namely acquiring and sending away James Harden. He’ll continue to run this franchise for at least four more seasons after this year, and he’ll look to build a championship team around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Philly reportedly talked to P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. before they were allowed to, and that will cost them their second-round pick for the next two years. The 76ers issued a statement in response to the punishment on Monday afternoon, saying, “The Philadelphia 76ers fully cooperated with the NBA’s investigation and acknowledge the league’s ruling. We’re moving forward, focused on the season ahead.”

The investigation is centered around their deals with James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Danuel House. The league will likely be looking to see if discussions with Harden took place before the free agency period opened, so that they would know that he would take less money and could spend it on a better supporting cast. The 76ers could lose a 2nd round draft pick, which will likely mean nothing to them if it helps them compete for an NBA championship.

With this move (New Orleans receives $2 million) Philadelphia now has three picks in Thursday’s draft: the 28th, 50th and 53rd overall picks. The 76ers will be one of the teams to watch on draft night, not so much because of who they may select, but rather the future of Ben Simmons. He’s been the subject of trade rumors in the aftermath of Philadelphia’s exit from the postseason, but it has been reported that the team is asking for a lot in return.

With Daryl Morey being hired as the team’s new president of basketball operations, there were questions as to what that addition meant for Brand’s future in Philadelphia. Well he’s safe, with the team inking Brand to a multi-year contract extension. Morey will be the one with final say on personnel decisions, but Brand’s voice remains one of high value with the 76ers.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story and also added that Philly GM Elton Brand will remain in his current role. Morey hinted after his departure from the Rockets that he’d be interested in working on the East Coast, so the 76ers swooped in and will sign him to a multi-year deal in an effort to revamp an underwhelming front office. Brand is on the record saying that he wants to keep the combo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together, so it will be interesting to see if Morey thinks the same. Morey is well known for making all-in moves, for better or worse, so it will be fun to see how this unfolds. On a side note, Simmons better start working on his 3-point shot for the famous “Moreyball.”

Morey, who is stepping down primarily for family reasons, told The Athletic that Mike D’Antoni’s decision to resign as head coach on the team’s plane ride back from Orlando was not a factor for him. And for those wondering if candidates who have interviewed for the right to be the Rockets’ next head coach were blindsided by Morey’s decision, the franchise has communicated the likelihood that they will be working with a new GM during the entire process. “Yea it’s been great, it’s been collaborative,” Morey told Sam Amick and Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “We’ve been up front with all the candidates that this was coming and they’ve been respectful to not have it get out early. It’s been baked in.” That being said, according to the report a couple head coaching candidates said that they were not made aware of this. Among those in the running to be the Rockets’ next head coach are Rockets assistant John Lucas, former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy and former Rockets player (and current Clippers assistant) Sam Cassell.

Morey’s decision to move on marks the official end of an era in Houston, even more so than Mike D’Antoni no longer serving as head coach. Under Morey’s direction the Rockets went with smaller lineups headlined by James Harden, even going far enough this season to either trade (Clint Capela) or waive (Isaiah Hartenstein) the only true centers on the roster. According to Wojnarowski, Houston plans to promote executive VP of basketball operations Rafael Stone to GM, with Eli Witus being promoted to assistant GM. Stone’s first order of business will be to hire a new head coach.

Lucas has been working as a player development coach on Mike D’Antoni’s staff in Houston for the past four seasons and has a long resume with stints as the head coach of the Spurs, 76ers and Cavaliers. Stein notes that Lucas has a strong relationship with both James Harden and Russell Westbrook, though it remains to be seen if the Rockets are still planning to build around those two or reshuffle the deck. As for the other candidates, Ty Lue interviewed over the weekend and Kenny Atkinson, Jeff Van Gundy, Sam Cassell and Chris Finch are still believed to be in the running.

“Daryl Morey’s job is safe,” Fertitta said. “I’m sure he’s going to pick the right head coach. “It begins and end with the general manager. That’s why you have a basketball operations team. They’ll make a recommendation to me. I’m the sign-off guy. I wouldn’t know how to interview a basketball coach.” The Rockets have moved on from Mike D’Antoni, but Fertitta has not lost faith in Morey, so for now, he’s safe in his current role in Houston.