Daryl Morey: Biggest need for 76ers is ‘high level’ wing around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey
The Philadelphia 76ers got bounced in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2023-24 NBA playoffs last week, their 14th straight elimination before the Eastern Conference Finals.
Daryl Morey, the team’s president of basketball operations, spoke to reporters this week, and identified the team’s biggest need outside of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
“The biggest need is not at their position – (it’s) someone at the wing who can play and deliver at a high level in the playoffs,” Morey said Monday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “That’s the biggest need.”
The two names that Pompey mentioned were Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
George has a $48.8 million player option and has until June 29 whether to exercise or decline, per Spotrac. Clippers president Lawrence Frank recently expressed his desire to keep both George and James Harden, who Morey traded to Los Angeles in early November after, well, a fiasco.
George will be entering his 15th NBA season next year and just turned 34-years-old on May 2. He is eligible for a four-year extension worth up to $221 million; Los Angeles already extended Kawhi Leonard for three years, $150 million earlier this season, but it remains unclear if they are willing to commit similar dollars to George or Harden, who’s an unrestricted free agent.
Butler, 34, will be entering his 14th NBA season and is in line for a $113 million extension. There’s speculation out there that Morey was the secret source for generating Butler-Sixers buzz. He still has $48.8 million left on his current deal with a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season.
There are two problems with going after these two players, the first being age.
“You have to factor in the age,” Morey said. “My point is that you can’t use the fact that all of those key players are [out of the playoffs] in one season and say this is some new thing. in fact, if anything, the direction of the arrow on age is that it is less than an impact than it was in the past.
“We feel like we’re in the window where we have to win now. We’re mostly focused on getting the best players that fit with Joel and Tyrese. … I think we put ourselves in a good position most years to win, and I’ve just got to keep working hard to put us in an even better position.”
The 76ers should absolutely maximize their window by acquiring a high-level wing–in Morey’s words–but at what cost, with both players in their mid-30s. Father time is undefeated!
George’s dip in play wasn’t as steep. Butler, on the other hand, is now coming off a sprained MCL after a subpar regular season. He played in 60 games for the second time in his Heat tenure, but doesn’t have as much athletic juice nor showed the energetic bursts throughout the games he was active.
The second issue is: How would the 76ers pull off not only these trades, but ones around the league if these two options aren’t on the table?
The Heat nor Clippers–because of where they’re at in relation to the tax aprons (Heat are over first, Clippers over second)–can trade more salary than they get back. Philadelphia has only four (4!!!) players on contract next year, one of them being Joel Embiid, who’s obviously not getting traded.
Paul Reed, whose contract is non-guaranteed, has the second-highest cap-hit at $7.7 million. Philadelphia does have a stash of three first-round picks (2026, 2028, 2030) that it can trade (as well as its 2024 pick on draft night) as well as plenty of second-rounders. But that’s … it?!?
A hypothetical trade for either of those two stars would have to include at least a third team; but the more teams involved, the more you’d likely have to give up–and Philadelphia’s already pretty strapped for assets.
This could be the problem that Morey runs into. What if a team that can trade their “high-level” wing for picks doesn’t want to trade it for just picks (and possibly Paul Reed), even if it’s three first-rounders?
He may have to dip into the free-agent market. The reason why they didn’t re-sign Maxey is so they could use his cap hold to free up more money to sign free agents, but first, you have to sign quality, complementary talent to get to the salary cap before re-signing Tyrese Maxey. If not, you minimize your chances at not only competing this year, but potentially in future seasons. Joel Embiid’s no spring chicken, so this offseason is big for Daryl Morey(‘s job status).
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