76ers Rumors: Philly Considering Rockets' Daryl Morey, Pacers' Kevin Pritchard
September 17, 2020
The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly have interest in the Houston Rockets' Daryl Morey and Indiana Pacers' Kevin Pritchard to become their president of basketball operations.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported the news Thursday and noted the Portland Trail Blazers' Neil Olshey may be interested if the Sixers are offering full control of the front office.
Other names that have popped up include former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry and the Golden State Warriors' Bob Myers, but neither is a likely hire. Myers in particular "isn't interested in coming to Philadelphia," per Pompey.
The 76ers already have a general manager in place with Elton Brand, whose duties were increased to open the offseason, with team executives allowing him to singularly lead the search for a new head coach.
"And I've grown as a leader, I've grown as a general manager," Brand told reporters in August. "I was put under fire. I had so many great, tough decisions to be a part of. But now, I'm looking forward to putting my stamp on this thing and take full accountability for whatever happens next."
The dynamics of already having a GM in place with ample decision-making power could make it difficult for Philadelphia to attract a big-name candidate as a president of basketball operations.
Pompey noted the Sixers may allow Brand to serve as the public "face of the franchise," while the new president would have more power to make decisions behind the scenes. It's unclear what the team's GM thinks about that potential arrangement, though.
It's a situation that seemingly falls under the old adage "too many cooks spoil the broth."
Regardless of how Philly handles the front office, it's facing a crucial offseason with the hire of a new head coach and continued speculation about whether to move forward with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as the main building blocks.
A blockbuster move could be needed to rebuild the core after the Sixers, who've been faced with annual championship-level expectations in recent years, haven't advanced beyond the conference semifinals since 2001. They were swept in this year's first round by the Boston Celtics with Simmons sidelined by injury.
It sets the stage for what could be a headline-making offseason in Philadelphia.