Daryl Morey Joining 76ers Makes Them Much More Interesting

Daryl Morey is nearing a deal to be in charge of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, Adrian Wojnarowski reports:

This move is going to be fascinating. The Sixers and their core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons suffered a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. When the buzzer beater from Kawhi Leonard bounced around the rim and fell in the basket, the title aspirations of everyone in Philadelphia went with it.

In addition to Morey in the front office, the Sixers have also hired Doc Rivers to be the next head coach, which should be an upgrade from Brett Brown.

Morey, the former Rockets GM, is a wizard at roster reconstruction, so we can definitely expect an overhaul this offseason. I'll throw out one interesting fake trade: What about Joel Embiid for James Harden?

The Sixers ownership from Josh Harris on down deserves credit for hiring Morey despite how China may feel about it. Morey's tweet in support of Hong Kong protestors angered Chinese leaders, who then withdrew much of their support for the NBA. Some view Morey as a controversial hire. The Sixers have shown courage in making this move.

One more thing: I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shoutout to Philadelphia blog Crossing Broad, who had a Nostradamus in their tip box back on October 12th:

What a call.