Sixers rumors: Daryl Morey expected to take over front office

The Sixers might have struck gold.

HOLY [redacted].

The Philadelphia 76ers, after one of the most thoroughly unfulfilling seasons in recent history, are about to shake things up in a big — and completely unexpected — way. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are in advanced talks with Daryl Morey, who is expected to oversee the franchise’s basketball operations.

With a deal expected to come in the next few days, Philadelphia will undergo the kind of foundation-shaking front office transformation many fans clamored for. While Elton Brand will maintain his position as GM, Morey will have final say. The contract is expected to last five years.

This comes directly out of left field, as just last week it appeared Morey was prepared to step away from basketball to spend time with his family — including two college-aged boys. He will now take charge of the NBA’s least functional front office, and hopefully helm the ship in a more competent manner than his predecessors.

Morey was once the mentor of Sam Hinkie, the man who — for better or worse — revolutionized the Sixers’ franchise, as well as the concept of a rebuild. The Sixers have spent all offseason scapegoating analytics, while Elton Brand has called consistently for more “basketball minds.” Morey, while undoubtedly a brilliant basketball mind, will keep analytics at the forefront of Philadelphia’s decision-making. That is not bad.

The general manager in Houston from 2007 until this past season, Morey led the Rockets to the second-highest winning percentage in basketball during his tenure. While he never won a championship, he showed a bravery and boldness that few front offices executives do. He committed to small-ball, and most importantly, he dared to challenge the Golden State dynasty when few Western Conference executives would. If nothing else, Morey is willing to put everything on the table.

Does Morey’s arrival mean the Sixers will eschew Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in favor of small ball? No, of course not. People tend to construe the eternally vague term of “analytics” as a hyper-reliance on 3-point shots. While yes, 3-point shots are statistically valuable, there are ways to construct an analytically-sound attack without sacrificing every player over 6-foot-7.

It’s doubtful the Sixers would be able to hire Morey without giving him full control and a boatload of cash. Morey is the kind of executive who can pretty much get any job he wants, so Philadelphia has to have made it worth his while. That will inevitably mean every decision runs through him, and you can expect ownership to listen.

While Sixers ownership has not always been the best at evaluating talent, there’s no denying Morey’s eye for the game. And we know good and well how willing ownership is to spend money. If this is Morey’s team to run and the Sixers are comfortable spending well into the tax, then good things might just happen.