The Philadelphia 76ers have endured a decade of turmoil, but how much of it falls on Daryl Morey’s watch? Morey, hired as the team’s general manager on November 2, 2020, inherited a roster shaped by decisions made years before his arrival.
Key missteps—such as trading the Jayson Tatum draft pick for Markelle Fultz, executing the Jimmy Butler trade, signing Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons to lucrative contracts, and swapping Mikal Bridges for Zhaire Smith—all occurred prior to Morey’s tenure. These moves laid the foundation for the 76ers’ current struggles, which culminated in a disappointing 2026 outlook.
Morey was fired in 2024, ending a six-year tenure defined by his commitment to a three-point and layup-focused philosophy. While he made errors, the bulk of the damage had already been done by the time he took over. Given the roster he inherited, Morey maximized the team’s potential as best he could.
Non-Negotiables Handed to Morey
Upon his hiring, Morey faced two critical constraints:
- Doc Rivers as head coach, hired just one month before Morey’s arrival.
- Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as franchise players, with Embiid already a three-time MVP runner-up (2020–2023).
Every roster decision made in the three years prior served this plan. Morey was given a flawed foundation—comparable to being handed a Ferrari with engine issues, as illustrated by a scene from the film Rush (2013), where driver Niki Lauda criticizes his car’s performance.
The Embiid and Simmons Dilemma
Morey had no choice but to build around Embiid, whose MVP finishes (second in 2020 and 2021, second again in 2022, and first in 2023) locked him into a supermax contract regardless of performance. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons became a basketball, financial, and organizational disaster—a situation that defied logic and remains a cautionary tale in NBA history.
Morey’s infamous year-long standoff with Simmons highlighted the challenges he faced. Despite these obstacles, his firing in 2024 marked not just a change in leadership but a shift in the team’s strategic direction.
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