NBA executive says 76ers Daryl Morey can’t win titles because of his work ethic

You’d think the 76ers would be off to a strong start of the 2024-25 NBA season after they signed Paul George during the summer, hoping to witness him pair up with former MVP Joel Embiid and young star Tyrese Maxey. However, injuries and poor management have stained their campaign so far.

Currently holding a disappointing 7-15 record while sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings in 12th place, fans and experts are not sure who is to blame on this one, while many have pointed their fingers at their All-Star big man. However, is the problem actually rooting from the top of their organizaiton?

Truth is, Daryl Morey has earned a poor reputation in recent years and hasn’t been able to create a thriving environment in Philadelphia. As the architect of this squad, he’s proven to be some sort of divisive figure around the league, and some fellow NBA executives can’t help but notice.

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A recent poll of 40 anonymous NBA executives revealed that the Philadelphia 76ers' front office ranked 12th, just ahead of the Utah Jazz. Daryl Morey, the Sixers' President of Basketball Operations, has had a notable career but faces…

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Morey’s team-building approach has made some waves, to say the least. “Daryl has balls, but he’s trading stocks from a desk,” an executive recently told The Athletic‘s panel consisting of Sam Amick, John Hollinger and Mike Vorkunov. “I don’t think what he does can win at the highest levels.”

Despite the Sixers winning four out of their last five matches, Charles Barkley recently compared the team to the Titanic by saying, “The ship has sunk, it’s the Titanic. It is over for my Sixers, unfortunately.”

However, things seem to slowly be turning around, especially as Joel Embiid is finally back in the squad’s starting lineup. “Depressing,” the big man said when asked about how he’s felt these past couple of months. “Just trying to figure it out. There’s no injury. Just between the swelling … we’ve got to get it figured out. That’s it.

The former league MVP wishes he could play every game. “I’ve been saying it for the last few months,” he admitted. “It’s been extremely depressing. It’s something that hasn’t been figured out, and it’s been extremely annoying, because I would love to play every single game.”

Last year’s drama between Morey and James Harden really shined a light on the executives’ poor management of his superstars

Last year we witnessed first-hand how James Harden called his former friend and boss Daryl Morey a “liar” and stopped communicating with him during last year’s preseason training camp. The veteran guard opted only to speak to him through his agent Michael Silverman.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne then explained why Harden planned not to speak to Morey again. “Harden feels very differently about the dissolution of their basketball marriage. He hasn’t spoken to Morey in months, sources told ESPN. He has told associates he doesn’t intend to speak to him ever again,” she reported.

“This is not even about this situation,” Harden had told the press in Philly, making sure his comments were as blunt as possible. “This is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone.”

The 34-year-old hoped to become an unrestricted free agent during the 2023 summer, but as the weeks passed, he realized the contract he was expecting wasn’t going to come. Even though the 76ers reportedly offered him a max deal, it was only for two years with a team option for the second campaign.