While the Philadelphia 76ers have grown accustomed to the lottery range of the NBA Draft, Daryl Morey is heading into unfamiliar territory. In his 18-year career as an NBA executive, Morey has never drafted a player within the lottery as the 2024-25 76ers were the first team he managed to finish with a losing record. It’s human nature to fall back into old habits when faced with an uncomfortable situation, but he seems to be sticking to his guns.
The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman are sorting through trade options and teams that are reportedly interested are the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks, Shams Charania of ESPN said. While Charania reported that there are several wild card teams interested, the 76ers are not involved in the Durant sweepstakes as far as we know and this is the best possible outcome.
The 76ers need to steer clear from Kevin Durant
Throughout his tenure with Philadelphia and Houston, Morey has built his teams through free agency and acquiring star-level players often through trades. From pairing James Harden with Dwight Howard and later Chris Paul to acquiring Harden to play alongside Joel Embiid, Morey has star-hunted to elevate the ceiling of his team.
However, the team-building landscape in the NBA is changing due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was implemented in the 2023 offseason. Teams are starting to prioritize depth and versatility over forming a big three due to the financial implications that come with it. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers have followed this modern blueprint to a tee, which is why they’re clashing in the NBA Finals. Each team has an influx of dynamic players that it can deploy depending on the matchup.
Per @JakeLFischer “The only thing that seems certain, according to our latest conversations on the matter, is that Philadelphia will be drafting a top prospect in the very early stages of draft proceedings on June 25.”
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) June 11, 2025
Mentions VJ Edgecombe worked out for the Sixers and had… https://t.co/FXMxMPX8As
Morey has repeatedly stated that he wants to surround Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George with more youth and athleticism. This new vision is exactly why Philadelphia should stay far away from trade talks involving Durant, unless it’s being used as a third team to facilitate a deal. If the 76ers were interested in swapping George for Durant, they’d have to give up draft capital, which is counterintuitive to their goals.
Instead, Philadelphia needs to continue to develop its young core of Quentin Grimes (possibly), Jared McCain, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, and whoever it selects in the upcoming draft. In the past few seasons, we’ve seen teams that have prioritized star-hunting over rounding out their roster fail – namely the Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks. Unfortunately, the 76ers are locked into their big three, but if they can get with the times and surround them with more versatility, they'll be in decent shape next season.