While the Philadelphia 76ers did not land the big-name impact player they may have wanted before the NBA trade deadline, it wasn’t from a lack of trying by general manager Daryl Morey.
Wednesday morning brought a shocking revelation that the Golden State Warriors made a concerted effort to swing a blockbuster trade for Los Angeles Lakers star and league legend Lebron James. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their advances were rebuffed by both the Lakers and James himself.
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However, that report also claimed that Golden State wasn’t the only franchise that checked in to see if the unhappy superstar might have been available before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
“After seeing James’ cryptic social media post of an hourglass a week before the trade deadline, Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey called [Lakers GM Rob] Pelinka to probe on a James trade and was immediately told that James wasn’t available. In fact, Pelinka responded by asking Morey if Joel Embiid was available,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.
Philadelphia 76ers GM checked in about Kevin Durant and Devin Booker trades
However, that wasn’t the only superstar that Morey checked on potential availability for. Wojnarowski claims the 76ers executive also inquired if any of the Phoenix Suns’ top three stars could be up for grabs this month.
“[Morey] also called the Phoenix Suns and asked about a trade for [Kevin] Durant prior to the deadline, sources said. When told no, Morey then asked about the availability of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, too. Unsurprisingly, those were nos as well,” Wojnarowski wrote.
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The 76ers probably won’t get reigning MVP Joel Embiid back until the end of March or early April, so it is understandable if Morey was not only looking for an elite star to fill the scoring void but also serve as the final piece in a potential title team in 2024. In the end, the only notable deal the team made last week was for sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
Since having surgery to repair his meniscus, Philadelphia has lost four of their last seven.
