Doc Rivers says Daryl Morey ‘talked too much’ during their Sixers tenure

Rivers said rampant trade speculation made his job as Sixers head coach a challenge.

Daryl Morey (left), Sixers president of basketball operations, and former coach Doc Rivers speaking with reporters in September 2022.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Published Jan. 10, 2024, 9:53 a.m. ET

Under coach Doc Rivers, the 76ers made it to the second round of the playoffs three times but never advanced past it. Rivers’ lack postseason of success was a major reason for his firing following the 2022-23 season, when he was replaced with Nick Nurse.

Rivers’ tenure was defined by uncertainty with guards James Harden and Ben Simmons. Trade rumors involving both players were rampant throughout much of Rivers’ time as head coach before Harden was dealt in October.

On The Bill Simmons Show on Tuesday, Rivers talked about one of his major issues with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, which was how the trade rumors impacted his ability to coach the team.

“One of the problems I had with [Morey] was that he talked too much,” said Rivers. “From a coaching standpoint — and I got this from guys in Houston when he came — they said, ‘You’ve got to get him to talk less.’ Trying to coach a team every day and your guys are mentioned every day in trades, and here comes the coach. ‘Hey, I want you to play a lesser role. Hey, I want you to do this.’ And he’s like, ‘Why? You guys talk about me every day about being traded.’”

Rivers, who now works as a broadcast analyst with ESPN, said the consistent trade rumors made it challenging to get buy-in from the players who were concerned they might be the next out.

During his tenure as coach of the Celtics, Rivers said ESPN ran a long segment about a potential Rajon Rondo trade that had no backing but created tension between the player and the organization that Rivers had to smooth out.

Despite the speculation, the Sixers still made the playoffs every season Rivers was head coach, and they’re on pace to do the same in the first year under Nurse.