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Ranking Daryl Morey’s 3 Biggest Mistakes with 76ers

By Jason Schandl

Feb 15, 2022; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey speaks with the media at Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2022; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey speaks with the media at Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Whether you’re Team Harden or Team Morey in the latest 76ers drama, one thing has become clear: Daryl Morey has been a common thread in a lot of this franchise’s issues in recent years.

To be fair, it’s not all on Morey. He inherited a ton of issues when Philadelphia hired him and was always going to be fighting an uphill battle in a few key areas. But this is a franchise that had championship expectations, and there has been no shortage of opportunities for that to happen during Morey’s tenure.

But every step of the way, things have gone wrong.

Morey has made plenty of great moves. His analytical approach is clearly working really well for finding valuable role players and making cost-effective signings. His drafting Tyrese Maxey seems like a big win. But that doesn’t make up for some of the huge L’s he’s taken.

Here’s a look at the three biggest issues that have turned Sixers fans against Morey over the years.

Daryl Morey’s 76ers Lowlights

3. Doc Rivers Love

The 76ers completely botched the Daryl Morey hiring from the start. Hiring a head coach and then hiring the GM is doing things totally backward, so Morey gets a pass on having Doc Rivers in town to begin with.

But Morey could have moved on from Rivers very quickly and nobody would have held it against him after the bizarre hiring order.

Rivers was already known for having his teams fall apart in the postseason before coming to Philly, and that got even worse over the last three seasons.

The Sixers were eliminated in the second round after going up 2-1 in the 2021 playoffs, completely collapsed with a 35-point loss in Game 5 against the Heat in the 2022 postseason before blowing a 3-2 series lead over the Celtics, losing the final two games by a combined 33 points in 2023.

That was two clear opportunities to move on before the final nail in the coffin, and Morey refused to make what was ultimately a pretty easy decision.

Of course, his issues go well beyond poor coaching decisions.