Daryl Morey keeps pushing the envelope trying to land LeBron James and Kevin Durant for the Sixers

Buried in a Valentine’s Day story by NBA information clearing house Adrian Wojnarowski and his esteemed ESPN coworker, Ramona Shelburne, was evidence, once again, that Daryl Morey has no fear.

He’s the geek who asks the head cheerleader to prom. He’s the skinny kid who tells the basketball coach he’s going to be the star. He’s the failed businessman who runs for president despite no qualifications whatsoever.

In this instance, the story focused on how Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob last week bypassed his underlings as the trade deadline approached to ask Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss whether LeBron James, the most accomplished active basketball player, might be so dissatisfied with the state of the Lakers that he might consider uniting forces with longtime nemesis Steph Curry. He and his underlings eventually were told that the Lakers wanted to keep LeBron, and that LeBron very much wanted to stay.

» READ MORE: Sixers welcome Kyle Lowry’s arrival: ‘He’s been through it’

As it turned out, Lacob could have called Morey. That’s because the Sixers president, whose team will be without Joel Embiid for at least the next few weeks, had already called Lakers to see if LeBron was willing to become a Sixer.

Also, no.

In fact, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly asked Morey if he’d be willing to part with Embiid.

Also, no.

It gets better, kind of.

The story reported that, last week, Morey also called the Phoenix Suns to see if they’d be willing to part with Kevin Durant.

Also, no.

But, man. What guts. What cojones.

League sources Wednesday confirmed that Morey did, in fact, make those calls.

Of course he did. It’s who he is.

As a dealmaker in Houston and Philly, he’s acquired Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, twice. He believes foundational players win titles. He accumulates assets to acquire foundational players. He understands that the worst thing that can happen is the guy on the other line says “No.”

Most importantly, he isn’t afraid to ask.

Imagine the audacity: thinking that you might have the capital and the chutzpah to land LeBron James, arguably the best player in history, and easily the most durable player in history.

And consider the confidence, thinking that you might land KD, the best pure scorer since Michael Jordan.

The interest in LeBron by the Warriors and Sixers stemmed from LeBron’s cryptic tweet Jan. 31 in which he posted an hourglass emoji. Three days elapsed before he was available to explain the meaning of the tweet, but when reporters asked if he would clarify it, he replied, “No.”

Which left matters up for speculation.

Did the tweet mean that LeBron believed the Lakers, who have been on the playoff bubble all season, were running out of time to become a contender? Did it mean that LeBron, at 39, has become frustrated with the Lakers’ generally tepid results since their COVID-bubble title in 2020? Did it mean LeBron would consider leaving Tinseltown for a lesser town in an effort to make a title run this season? He holds a player option for next season and is expected to become a free agent.

Given the state of the Sixers, the outlandishness of Morey’s moves cannot be overstated.

Embiid, the best player in the NBA, is injured (again). He just had knee surgery. He wasn’t in triathlete shape beforehand, and he’s not going be running any marathons when he returns, and he’ll assuredly be playing on a minutes restriction for the rest of the season. This all assumes Embiid does return; that he suffers no setbacks, and can contribute in a meaningful way.

Sure, playing with The Process might have been enticing, but the only thing Morey could guarantee LeBron would have been a nightly pairing with Tyrese Maxey, with Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. on the wings — assuming they weren’t part of the trade — and flighty Paul Reed in the middle. LeBron might have strangled Paul Reed by the end of the season.

A move for LeBron would have been amazing, but getting KD would have been even better.

At 35, he’s averaging 28.3 points and 5.7 assists, hitting 44.4% of his three-pointers and 53.7% of his field goals, all better than his career averages. Further, he’s under contract through the 2025-26 season.

Durant is known for his perpetual discontent. There was every chance he might be growing unhappy in the desert.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Three big unknowns as the Sixers look to avoid disaster: Lowry, Maxey, and the man in the middle

The Suns were 10 games over .500 on Valentine’s Day, but they were 19-18 on Jan. 8 and they’ve dealt with injuries to Bradley Beal and Devin Booker all season. Maybe KD was eager to cut bait again. After all, he’s playing for his fourth team in six years.

Don’t be surprised to see the Sixers make a strong push for Durant in the offseason, considering they’ll have five first-round picks to trade on draft night June 26.

A league source said Morey also made strong plays for a pair of Bulls, but, for whatever reasons, the team was not interested in moving either DeMar DeRozan or Andre Drummond. The Bulls hold the ninth slot in the Eastern Conference, which makes them a play-in team, but they’re two games under .500 and both players are free agents after the season. This, of course, is what makes them the Bulls, with five postseason series wins in the past 25 years and none in the past eight years.

» READ MORE: The Sixers have had 27 NBA All-Stars. Can you name them all? | Quiz

In the end, Morey improved his team at the deadline. Buddy Hield is a big and strong with range and the ability to finish. Cameron Payne is a more viable backup point guard than Patrick Beverley. Kyle Lowry, a buyout pickup from the Heat, remains, at 35, a solid NBA player and the sort of leader and winner the locker room has lacked since Jimmy Butler left. None of them are LeBron or KD, but then, who is?

Anyway, kudos to Morey for shooting his shot. Can’t blame a brother for trying.