Daryl Morey and Sixers still in search of support for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey: ‘That’s the biggest need’

Having inherited a team that was swept in the first round in 2020, critics will argue the team has gotten no better under Morey's watch. But the Sixers president remains confident.

76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey had his end of season news conference on Monday.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

by Keith Pompey

Published May 6, 2024, 6:46 p.m. ET

What’s the next step for Daryl Morey and the 76ers?

For the second time in recent years, the Sixers have failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The latest quest ended Thursday night with a 118-115 loss to the New York Knicks that cemented a 4-2 series loss. It was the type of early postseason exit the Sixers hoped to avoid when they hired Morey as president of basketball operations in 2020.

The executive was expected to help the Sixers advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2001. But Morey’s first three seasons ended with disappointing losses, including two second-round exits and last week’s first-round loss.

Having inherited a team that was swept in the first round in 2020, critics will argue the team has gotten no better under his watch.

But Morey, who received a contract extension this season, remains confident that he can turn things around and advance beyond the second round.

“I think Joel [Embiid], Tyrese [Maxey] and Nick [Nurse] give me the confidence that we have a good shot,” Morey said during Monday’s end-of-season news conference. “Look, most of the paths you go down in the NBA lead to a dead end because they’re only letting one team win and 29 teams are having this news conference every year.

“I think we put ourselves in a good position most years to win, and I’ve just got to keep working hard to put us in an even better position. And we have an opportunity to do that this offseason.”

This offseason, the Sixers could have close to $65 million available in free agency. The team also has a first-round pick (No. 16), second-rounder (41), and future picks to lump into a trade to acquire a player to fit around Maxey and Embiid.

“I would say the biggest need is not at their position — someone at the wing who can play and deliver at a high level in the playoffs,” Morey said. “That’s the biggest need.”

The Sixers’ desire to acquire Paul George, 34, in free agency is the NBA’s worst-kept secret. They’re also reportedly expected to monitor Jimmy Butler’s situation with the Miami Heat.

Butler, who turns 35 on Sept. 14, has $48.8 million guaranteed for next season and a player option for $52.2 million for 2025-26. The former Sixer is expected to push for a two-year maximum extension of $113 million. There have been reports that Miami may look to trade the small forward rather than give him an extension.

However, Heat president Pat Riley told reporters on Monday that Miami is not trading the six-time All-Star.

George, a nine-time All-Star, can become an unrestricted free agent this summer by declining his $48.8 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers for next season.

While elite players who fulfill a need, George and Butler are toward the end of their careers.

“It’s for sure, you have to factor in everything, including age,” Morey said of free agency.

He pointed out that, as one of the league’s older players, Butler led the Heat to several conference semifinal and NBA Finals appearances in recent seasons.

“My point is that we can’t use the fact that a lot of those key players are all in one season and now say this is some new thing,” Morey said. “In fact, if anything, the direction of the arrow on age has been that it’s less of an impact than it has been in the past.”

Embiid is 30 years old and has never played more than 68 regular-season games in a season. This season, he missed 43 games due in large part to a torn meniscus in his left knee. That’s partly why the Sixers believe getting a star who will make an immediate impact is important.

“You have to factor in the age,” Morey said. “We feel like we’re in the window where we have to win now. We’re mostly focused on getting the best players that fit with Joel and Tyrese.”

And while Morey said he’s fine with staying at No. 16 in the draft, this is regarded as a weak draft class lacking depth. So the Sixers aren’t looking at June’s draft for help.

“As you might expect, we have all options on the table,” he said. “Trade into the future so we keep more picks available for future trades.”

Morey also talked about how the team could utilize Paul Reed and Ricky Council IV, who join Embiid as the only players under contract past this season. The Sixers have a team option on reserve point guard Jeff Dowtin, while the contracts of Reed and Council are non-guaranteed.

But Morey admitted the acquisition of Buddy Hield at the trade deadline didn’t live up to the hype. The three-point specialist was supposed to provide consistent spacing for Embiid and Maxey.

“Yeah, I think at no fault of Buddy’s the fit was less good than I thought,” Morey said. “He got, you know, obviously most of his time was without Joel. But I thought when Joel was back that his impact and his shooting, that he’d get more open shots. He didn’t. And so that’s on me that it didn’t work out as we hoped. I still think it was one of the better acquisitions.”

But Maxey’s emergence was one of the biggest positives of the season.

The first-time All-Star was named the league’s most improved player. As a restricted free agent, the Sixers can and are expected to match any offer sheet another team provides. He’s eligible to receive a five-year, $205 million contract. Based on the Sixers’ determination to bring him back, other franchises would be wasting their time pursuing Maxey.

“Obviously, we didn’t meet our goals this year,” Morey said. “That said, I think this place is buzzing. Everyone’s in, excited to attack this offseason — a big offseason for us. We’re excited. We obviously have two great studs to build around in Joel and Tyrese.

“Tyrese took a big leap forward this year and we think the sky’s the limit for him as he continues to improve. Joel was incredible for us, a warrior for us until the end. So we’re excited about who we’re building around. … But again, we’re very well-situated to use all the tools — trade, free agency, draft — to upgrade the team. We’re going to put every single effort into that.”