Philadelphia 76ers fans are among the most passionate ones in all of sports. As a consequence, it surprises no one that the fanbase is similarly pretty reactive to everything surrounding the team, especially when it comes to player movement and free agency signings. That has only been bolstered by what transpired this season, as people following the team have now seen their angst against the front office get augmented.
When it comes ot Daryl Morey, the general sentiment nowadays is that the longtime executive has fallen victim to his own antics. The 76ers have greatly benefited from having him at the helm, but as of late, his signature degree of agression has caused more harm than good.
From signing Paul George to a max contract to handing Joel Embiid a shortsighted extension, Morey has pulled of a slew of moves that project to get even uglier as time passes by. Even his short-term signings have been duds for the most part, save for a handful of bright spots via trade or through the draft.
Having said that, could this observation cause fans to go easy on him?
Huge playoff observation could cause 76ers fans to go easy on Daryl Morey
The 2025 NBA Playoffs is down to its final four teams: Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York, and Indiana. Three of those teams pulled off huge upsets to get to the Conference Finals, but beyond that, their roster construction deserves stricter scrutiny.
A certain fan shared a very interesting finding on social media, showing that more than half of the starters from teams still in the postseason were acquired via trades — Morey’s bread and butter.
This would undeniably evoke some gratification on Morey if he sees this. After all, dealing in the open market has long been his main resort in building a roster. The 76ers have also made a slew of defining swaps in recent years, although results have been mixed.
While the “bought, not built” mantra remains at the bottom of the food chain, at least as can be gleaned from this trend, the importance of the trade engine has only been reinforced. The likes of Tyrese Haliburton and karl-Anthony Towns were products of opportunistic trades, with their current teams making huge plays and taking massive gambles to make hard pivots.
Moving forward, the Philadelphia 76ers have to adopt a similar approach. They must strike the iron while still hot, and know the expiry for some of the players on board. But with Daryl Morey at the helm, you can certainly count on the franchise doing just that — so long as the price is right.