James Harden trade and 4 other regrettable 76ers moves Daryl Morey botched
By Tyler Watts
The Philadelphia 76ers did not allow Daryl Morey to be jobless long. He left his post as Rockets general manager in Oct. 2020 after eight consecutive years in the playoffs. James Harden was headed out of town, and Morey did not want to oversee a rebuild. The Sixers added him less than one month later. They hoped one of the league’s best execs could make them a title contender.
Philly still has not advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2001, which means changes are coming this summer. Morey wants to add a third star and is a rare contending team with cap space. Tobias Harris will be one of many current 76ers to depart, but can Philadelphia become a title contender?
Morey is no stranger to winning, but not every move has gone as planned. The 76ers president of basketball operations has been on the job for less than four years and done well overall. Still, there are a handful of moves the organization wants to redo.
5. Buddy Hield trade
The Sixers traded Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round draft picks to get Buddy Hield in a three-team deal at the 2024 deadline. Morey wanted to put shooting around Embiid and Maxey without muddying their cap sheet. The 6’4 wing is known as an elite marksman, but never quite found his footing in City of Brotherly Love.
Heild started the first 13 games before moving to the bench. He went from playing 32 minutes to 21 when coming off the bench. Things got worse in the playoffs as Buddy Love was dropped from the rotation in Games 4 and 5 against the Knicks in the first round. He made just one shot in the first five games of the series before dropping 20 in 21.5 minutes in the decisive Game 6.
Hield is an elite shooter, but his subpar defense is a problem next to Tyrese Maxey. Morey knew this but was more focused on preserving cap space and keeping the team’s summer options open. Giving up three second-round picks for 36 games of Hield is not the best use of assets, but certainly not Morey’s worst move since taking over the 76ers.