Daryl Morey Set To Join Philadelphia 76ers As Their New President Of Basketball Operations

Perhaps the biggest news to date in Philadelphia during this offseason, (next to the Sixers bringing along Doc Rivers to be their new head coach) Former Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is finalizing a five-year deal to become the new director of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.

While much has shifted in the past couple of months for the Sixers’ orgnization, General Manager Elton Brand is expected to remain in his current position. Morey acts as the perfect liaison between the Rivers hiring, as he and Doc have maintained a long and and strong relationship together dating back to their days together in Boston, when Rivers was still the Celtics’ head coach, and when Morey was the Senior Vice President of Basketball operations for the Celtics until 2007.

He’s been on the radar for the Philadelphia 76ers, who are in dire need of some personnel adjustments after their disappointing 2019-20 campaign that saw them ousted in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. Morey was presented the opportunity to join the 76ers two years ago, but ultimately decided to sign an extension with the Rockets in lieu of the continual success his previous franchise was creating.

Morey approached Rockets owner Tiliman Fertitta about stepping down from his managerial role after the Rockets missed yet another trip to the Conference Finals, losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games during the Western Conference Semifinals. The sides then negotiated an exit agreement to end his 13 seasons within Houston’s organization.

For those unaware of the significance of this hire, Morey isn’t just a numbers wiz, but the most prominent executive in basketball when it comes to mastering the usage of analytics.

Since taking over the Rockets after his departure from Boston in the spring of ’07, “Moreyball” – a basketball version of the wildly successful Moneyball plan devised by former Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane that’ heavily reliant on using advanced statistics to your advantage, three-point field goals and layups as opposed to mid-range jumpers – has ascended the basketball stratosphere as Houston has compiled the best record of any franchise in the regular season, making the huge leap from playoff qualifier on the outskirts of contentionship to championship favorite without having to tank for more reliable talent.

To the chagrin of traditionalists who thought Morey wasn’t constructing his roster the right way, he grasped the 2018 Executive of the Year award for his ingenuity and tenacity, even if his groundbreaking strategy of implementing a scheme limited players’ skillsets as they operated in the system. Houston has become a hotbed of All-Star talent in recent years, most notably due to the appeal that James Harden (who Morey shockingly traded for in 2013 from Oklahoma City) gave to them, and they’ve made the postseason for eight straight seasons under Morey’s guise.

There are preeminent questions that will be answered in due time, like how the tandem of Rivers and Morey reconcile such differences like their positioning of bigs and whether they stay on the low post or on the perimeter, or the free agency decisions and who Morey can attract to Philly. More shall be released in the coming days but make no mistake about it, this is a massive splash for the Sixers, who are looking to play an even more prominent role in taking over the East.

Photo cred: Bill Baptist/NBAE Via Getty Images