What the 76ers Hire of Daryl Morey Means for the Future of Ben Simmons & Joel Embiid

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One gotta go?

Last year, the NBA’s relationship with China came to a halt, when Daryl Morey sent out a message #StandWithHongKong. For those that don’t know, the majority of the league’s international money comes directly from China, who coincidentally are the base for the league’s largest international team, the Houston Rockets.

Daryl Morey, who ran the Houston Rockets, knew his fate was over with the team; regardless how far they went in the playoffs. Doc Rivers felt the Los Angeles Clippers wouldn’t win in their first year, and also had plans mid-season last January to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

So, in that time, Philly GM, Elton Brand and Doc started the process for their 2021 season, dating back to January. However, today, reports finally surfaced that the team is set to hire Morey to oversee basketball operations.

This means he’ll be working directly with Elton Brand on talent scouting and seeing what the team needs to fix. After deciding to give Ben Simmons a super-max contract last year and part ways with Jimmy Butler, many players did not agree with the situation.

One particular player who felt they should’ve chose Jimmy over Ben, was Joel Embiid. During the Miami Heat’s impressive playoff run to the NBA Finals, before the team lost two starters; Embiid was vocal on social media about watching his former teammate on the biggest stage.

While Joel and Ben have yet to bring issues public, it’s being said behind-the-scenes that Philly is looking for a suitor this fall (that means right now) for Embiid. Whether a team is looking to absorb his $90-million contract over the next three years remains to be seen; but he’ll be one of the more sought-after talents when free agency starts.

Let us know in the comments if you think the 76ers are making the right choice at keeping Ben.

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first day in the books.

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❝ During Doc’s first day at the Training Complex, I had the opportunity to document his experience by taking photos. The majority of his day was filled – from his introductory virtual press conference to a tour of the facility. Whenever there was a rare quiet moment, Doc headed into his new office and worked. What struck me was that for the most part, he wasn’t typing away on a laptop, but rather writing notes – the old fashioned way, with a pen and paper. I almost forgot how quiet writing is. It’s a fairly silent activity, as opposed to the click-clacking of a keyboard. So much of my work is observational – watching and capturing. And with that comes a high degree of self-awareness. It is just as important to know when to turn the camera off as it is to know when to press the shutter. After I took the photo, I quickly left, hoping to preserve a quiet moment for our new head coach. ❞ . . . 📷 @magszerbe

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