February 09, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Does Daryl Morey have a bigger picture in mind for the Sixers?
The Sixers kept busy ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, but to what ends is anyone's guess it feels.
Buddy Hield and Cam Payne are in and so is some added draft stock for down the line. But going out are Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, Jaden Springer, Danuel House Jr., and fan-favorite Patrick Beverley.
There might still be one or two more adds on the buyout market later, but how's it all going to work without or even with a likely hampered Joel Embiid?
What's the plan?
Here's what they're saying about the Sixers in trying to piece it all together....
The deadline came and went. The Sixers made their moves, but the Inside Guys hardly seem to feel that those will solve any of their problems, at least for this season.
The Sixers are still without Embiid, and even if he does come back, it's going to be hard for him to get right back to his MVP form.
It might just be too late for the Sixers to salvage this, regardless of what they did or could've done.
The panel's exchange on Philly:
Ernie Johnson: "So they picked up Buddy Hield today."
Charles Barkley: "That don't matter. It all comes down to Joel. Without Joel – I love Buddy Hield. He's gonna be a fine addition – but without Joel...
Johnson: I'm not saying without. Assuming Joel comes back...
Barkley: It might be too late. They could be in the play-in.
Johnson: Miami was in the play-in and went to the finals.
Barkley: Yeah, that was a fluke. That was a fluke, Ernie...The Sixers, I don't think they can make the finals through the play-in. That's just my personal opinion.
Shaquille O'Neal: Not only that, it's not gonna be the same Joel with the knee injury. He's not going to be playing with everything. We all know when you're getting ready to come back, you can do whatever you want, 24-hour fitness, LA Fintess, there's no..
Johnson: So you're writing Philadelphia off?
O'Neal: I'm not writing them off, but...they're in trouble. They're in trouble. [Inside The NBA]
Patrick Beverley got traded to the Bucks in a move that we saw unfold in real time, from his perspective, on his podcast.
This clip in particular, in which he said team president Daryl Morey told him he wasn't getting traded during the Sixers' trip out to Denver on January 27, went viral:
“So he’s a liar?” -@rone https://t.co/gVjIKSk2uW pic.twitter.com/6jZ4Cta0SX
— Viva La Stool (@VivaLaStool) February 8, 2024
He anticipated that his departure was probably a setup for a bigger move to come, and hey, he gets to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in Milwaukee now. There's a shot to win there.
But the 35-year old vet has also been around for a long time and knows as much as anyone that the NBA is a business.
"Don't be pissed at Daryl Morey," Beverley said as he collected his thoughts from getting traded. "It's a business. I was playing too well."
I wanna Thanks the 76ers Fans and my teammates for allowing me to do my thing. Always love Nurse and EB.
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) February 8, 2024
Morey is understand the business. You took a chance on me over a decade ago when no one did. Always love.
76ers Luv ❤️❤️❤️
The full podcast episode HERE.
Which is also something Sixers fans do not want to hear right now. Definitely not in defense of Morey and owner Josh Harris.
Yet given the circumstances, and all the uncertainty over what the Sixers still have for this season coming with them, did the front office do as well as any staff could've?
The worst thing the Sixers could have done is pretend like they could wheel and deal their way into an odds-on shot at a title. The Celtics are as close to a perfectly constructed team as we’ve seen in the recent history of the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have a player who is every bit as impactful as Embiid, plus a solidified supporting cast and a dynamic second option in Damian Lillard. The Knicks are tough, and they’ve only gotten better. I haven’t even mentioned the Cavs, who are somehow the current No. 2 seed.
This ain’t the year to press your luck.
The second worst thing the Sixers could have done is punt on the season. There is a reasonable chance that Embiid is back on the court by the playoffs. If he is, then Hield is a big upgrade to the ideal formula around the big guy. That formula: surround him with as much space as possible. Hield is one of the best in the NBA at providing that spacing. He’s a career 40 percent shooter from three-point range. Just as important, he’s as high of a volume shooter from deep as anybody in the NBA. For the cost of three second-round picks, the Sixers are acquiring a player who profiles and slots similarly to J.J. Redick during his Sixers years.
...
Uncertainty is never satisfying. The best you can do is work within its constraints. [The Inquirer]
In the aftermath of the trade deadline, TNT's Chris Haynes had the following to say about Paul George's contract situation with the Clippers and the possibility of the Sixers jumping in if things fall through:
76ers could pursue Paul George in the offseason; @ChrisBHaynes
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) February 8, 2024
“If Paul George and the Clippers are unable to get an extension done, look for the Sixers to be very aggressive and try to pursue him in the offseason” pic.twitter.com/tGozXx3Qga
That's a big "if" though, and even if it did get to that point, would probably just further cloud what exactly the Sixers are tying to do here.
Take as many grains of salt as you need on this one.
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