The Philadelphia 76ers are “The NeverEnding Story” of bad news. The franchise announced Friday that Joel Embiid will be shut down for the rest of the season after just playing 19 games due to ongoing issues with his surgically-repaired left knee. Thanks to president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, the 76ers now owe Embiid nearly $300 million through the 2028-29 season after giving him a contract extension. Despite drafting Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, many of Morey’s moves haven’t worked out since being hired in 2020. Here are six reasons why it’s time for the 76ers to part with Morey.
Woefully mishandling Joel Embiid’s knee injury
The way Morey and the 76ers front office and medical team have handled Embiid’s left knee injury has been nothing short of disastrous. The team and Embiid seemed to be on different wavelengths on how to handle his knee swelling. Embiid recently said that he will need another surgery that would put him out for a significant time, while reports from the 76ers side indicated they didn’t believe Embiid needed to go under the knife again. Despite not looking like himself, the 76ers ran Embiid out there for two games after the All-Star break, shooting 7-for-21, 0-8 from three, and having trouble moving up and down the court. The blame should fall on Morey for why Embiid was continuing to play and why he wasn’t shut down sooner.
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Joel Embiid’s unmovable contract
Despite coming off left knee surgery and questions surrounding his health, Morey decided to hand Embiid a three-year, $193 million contract extension before the season. Now, the 76ers are tied to Embiid through the 2028-29 season, owing him $299.5 million during that time. That contract is officially unmovable. The 76ers will be handcuffed because of this deal for the next half-decade. So much for the franchise’s cap space.
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Signing Paul George to four-year, $212 million contract
Speaking of another unmovable contract, Morey and the 76ers brought in nine-time All-Star Paul George to be the franchise’s final championship piece to form a Big 3 alongside Embiid and Maxey. Instead, George is having one of the worst seasons of his career and has played some uninspired basketball. He’s averaging his lowest points per game (16.2) since 2011-12, lowest player efficiency rating (14.9) since his rookie season, and lowest win share (1.2) of his career. He’s also missed 19 games this season after hyperextending his left knee twice, suffering a left pinky injury, and load management. Maybe with Embiid out, George can go back to podcasting.
James Harden fiasco
Before George, James Harden was supposed to be the final piece of the championship puzzle for the 76ers. Morey, who was once extremely close with Harden, acquired the All-Star guard from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster trade for the disgruntled Ben Simmons during the 2021-22 season. However, their relationship imploded a year-and-a-half later, with Harden claiming that Morey lied to him about a contract extension and forcing his way out following the 2022-23 season. It was just another blemish for Morey during his 76ers tenure.
Continued playoff disappointments
Morey was brought in to build the 76ers into perennial title contenders and finally get them beyond the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. That has yet to happen. In fact, they’ve gone backwards these last two seasons. They didn’t get beyond the first round, losing to the New York Knicks last year and most likely won’t get to the postseason this year as they are 20-38 and have the sixth-worst record in the league.
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Lack of roster continuity
Morey has constantly tinkered with the roster, giving Embiid and Maxey no continuity among teammates from year to year. It’s time for someone new to take the reins and bring a breath of fresh air into the franchise. Morey has backed the franchise into a corner with his moves. It’s time for different voice to fix his mistakes.
