The Philadelphia 76ers have made the shocking decision to part ways with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Former Golden State Warriors general manager and four-time NBA champion Bob Myers will lead the search for a new head executive.
Regardless of who Myers' search may lead the 76ers to, one thing is clear: Morey can't be the only big name Philadelphia parts way with in 2026.
The 76ers are coming off of a rather polarizing 2025-26 NBA season. On one hand, Morey drafted Rookie of the Year finalist VJ Edgecombe and built a team that finally defeated the Boston Celtics in the playoffs and reached the second round for the first time since 2023.
On the other, the 76ers traded Jared McCain after less than two seasons with the team and failed to get a single active player back in the deal. McCain is now thriving with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Regardless of what Morey did or didn't do, the unfortunate reality the 76ers live in includes conflicting timelines, prohibitive contracts, and a desperate need for depth. Whether fair or foul, none of those issues can be remedied without a somewhat drastic degree of change.
That process must unfortunately continue with the painful decision to move on from either Joel Embiid or Paul George this summer—if not both players.
76ers must follow Daryl Morey change by trading at least one star
Embiid is a two-time scoring champion, a former NBA MVP, and the face of the 76ers. Unfortunately, he's also 32 years of age, has played no more than 39 games in any of the past three seasons, and his three-year extension that projects to average more than $62 million per year kicks in during the 2026-27 campaign
Between his age and injury history, it's bordering on impossible to justify the 76ers staying the course without accepting that they may derail any dreams they have of contending until 2029.
George, meanwhile, stepped up during the 2026 NBA Playoffs and seemed to still have quite a bit left in the tank after returning from what proved to be a healing 25-game suspension. As such, there's some level of reason to believe that the 76ers should hold on to the 36-year-old forward as a valuable veteran presence.
George will make a colossal salary of $54,126,380 in 2026-27, however, and has a $56,586,670 player option for the 2027-28 campaign.
Embiid and George will thus make more than $112 million combined in 2026-27. With Tyrese Maxey owed just under $40.8 million, the star trio alone will consume over $152 million in cap space. That simply can't continue given the injury and age-related concerns that the veteran players carry.
The 76ers have a star duo of the future in Edgecombe, 20, and Maxey, 25, but building around them will be an overwhelmingly challenging experience if they fail to trade either Embiid or George.
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