Daryl Morey fired by the Sixers

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — May 13, 2026

Episode Theme:
The main focus of this episode is the firing of Daryl Morey as General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers following their disappointing playoff sweep by the New York Knicks. The hosts also break down the Spurs’ decisive Game 5 win over the Timberwolves and discuss the future trajectories of both teams. The episode features analysis from NBA beat writer Tony Jones on the Sixers shakeup, insights into team-building philosophy, and the ripple effects of front-office changes.

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Spurs Smash Wolves in Game 5: Analysis & Implications

[01:46–13:40]

Spurs Dominate Wolves, Take Series Lead

• Victor Wembanyama’s Statement Game:
  • Came out “mad” and put up 16 points in the first six minutes.
  • “He looked mad. He had some kind of a point to prove.” — Dave DuFour (02:42)
  • Defensive impact was massive—completely shutting down Rudy Gobert & Julius Randle, making the Wolves fearful to attack the paint.
  • “It’s genuinely something I’ve never seen before…the amount of calculations the Timberwolves are doing in their heads when Wemby is on the floor.” — Espera Henny (03:49)
• Timberwolves’ Offensive Struggles:
  • Reluctant to attack the paint with Wemby on the floor, even when backup Luke Kornet entered.
  • Settled for poor jump shots, and failed to capitalize on Spurs’ minutes limitations with Wembanyama.
  • “Julius Randle with a lot of dribbling to nowhere…as good as Rudy has been up to this point…this game was absolutely atrocious for him.” — Dave (06:30)
• Athleticism & Ball Movement:
  • Spurs’ athletic, positionless defense stifled the Wolves.
  • Randle and Gobert exposed athletically; Wolves’ best performers limited to Edwards, Io, McDaniels.
  • “You just can't do that against this Spurs team. You have to be able to move the ball.” — Espera (07:36)
• Growth of Anthony Edwards:
  • Developing quickly at handling double teams, showing flashes of future superstardom.
  • “Think of the growth that we've seen from Anthony Edwards…it's an incredible part of this series.” — Espera (08:17)
• What’s Next for the Timberwolves:
  • Big questions linger on how to take the next step: “They have a talented player who can be the number one on a championship team in Anthony…what do they have to do to upgrade and get better?” — Espera (08:42)
  • Randle identified as the likely scapegoat.

Spurs’ Young Core: Future Contenders

• Guards’ Defensive Versatility:
  • Steph Castle and Dylan Harper praised for guarding up positions and contributing on both ends.
  • “You can put them on Nas Reed and they’re not just going to get mashed into the pavement.” — Dave (10:45)
• Comparison to OKC Thunder:
  • Both rosters filled with big, switchable guards leading to a “mirror image” matchup possibility (11:07)
• Dylan Harper’s Emergence:
  • “Is he the Spurs’ second best player?”—Dave; “He could be a first team…If we were to look back at this in five years and say Dylan Harper has made like two All NBA teams, already, wouldn’t be surprised.” — Espera (13:13)
  • Unique offensive structure: guards driving, Wemby spacing the floor—a reverse of traditional roles.

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Daryl Morey Fired by Sixers: Breaking Down a Franchise-Altering Move

[15:31–32:59]

Why Morey Was Let Go

• Timing & Ownership Perspective:
  • Fired swiftly after being swept by the Knicks due to combine timing and need for leadership clarity.
  • “If you can't change the roster, then something is probably going to have to change up top.” — Tony Jones (16:32)
  • “This is the Philadelphia 76ers…we have yet to go to a conference finals.” — Tony (16:46)
• Morey’s Tenure Reviewed:
  • Built current roster: drafted Maxey, McCain, Edgecombe, extended Embiid, signed Paul George, trades.
  • “This entire team is…a Daryl Morey project, top down.” — Espera (17:43)
  • Noted poetic irony in Bob Myers stepping in as interim GM.
• Internal Chaos:
  • Last two years marked by internal unrest—player participation issues, nearly-missed shootarounds.
  • “The last two years were pretty chaotic internally…I know things that went on behind the scenes this year…kind of amazes [me] this team won 45 games.” — Tony (20:10)
• Locker Room Dynamics & Coaching:
  • Nick Nurse stays—has support of key players and is regarded as a “championship level coach.”
  • “Ownership looks at Nick and says we have to give you a pass because you just have not had full rosters to deal with.” — Tony (21:37)
  • Pressure now squarely on Nurse to win big next year.

GM Search: Who’s Next?

• Candidate Landscape:
  • Tim Connelly (unlikely), Travis Schlenk (available, has Bob Myers connection), possible internal candidates like Jameer Nelson mentioned.
  • “Nobody wants to go into the draft and free agency without a GM in place.” — Tony (25:20)
• Urgency and Expectations:
  • Ownership claims they’ll take their time, but Tony thinks “this is going to go rather quickly.”
  • New GM’s “main priority” is building the right relationship with Joel Embiid.
  • “You've got to be on the same page as Joel Embiid.” — Tony (26:37)

The NBA Blame Game: Lessons Learned

• Front Office vs. Coaching Power Dynamics:
  • Recaps other situations: Snyder/Lindsey in Utah, Malone/Booth in Denver—usually comes down not to ability, but to relationships and PR.
  • “In all three…didn’t have anything to do with the ability to actually do the job.” — Tony (31:23)
• Sixers’ Message & Next Steps:
  • Ownership signaling that internal strife has to end; everyone must pull together for championship contention.
  • “If you're going to win a championship, everybody's got to be pulling on the same rope at the same time in the same direction.” — Tony (27:13)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Wembanyama’s Defensive Impact:
  “The amount of calculations the Timberwolves are doing in their heads when Wemby is on the floor…It's all because of Victor Wembanyama and he is completely nullified both Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle offensively.” — Espera Henny (03:49)

• On Daryl Morey’s Firing:
  “If you can't change the roster, then something is probably going to have to change up top. And you know, it was Daryl Morey.” — Tony Jones (16:32)

• On Locker Room and Front Office Tension:
  “The last two years were pretty chaotic internally…that's something that became untenable at the ownership level.” — Tony Jones (20:10, 27:13)

• On GM Job Priorities:
  “The main priority for the new hire has got to be to be on the same page as Joel Embiid.” — Tony Jones (26:37)

• On NBA’s Blame Culture:
  “Ownership says, well, we're just going to start with the GM and we're going to dismiss him. It happens for differing reasons…in all three…didn’t have anything to do with the ability to actually do the job.” — Tony Jones (31:23)

• On Unique Spurs Lineup:
  “It's the two guards that are getting downhill…it’s Wemby…spacing the floor…so counter to what most people might think of when it comes to basketball.” — Espera Henny (12:00)

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Final Thoughts & Remembrances

[33:00–34:03]

• Tributes paid to Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies, aged 29) and Jason Collins (former NBA player, aged 47), both recently deceased.
  • “Very sad day around the NBA in the basketball world yesterday…” — Dave DuFour (33:00)

---

Key Timestamps

• Spurs-Wolves Game 5 Breakdown: 01:46–13:40
• Start of Daryl Morey Discussion: 15:31
• Tony Jones on Firing & Internal Chaos: 16:11–27:13
• GM Search, Next Steps: 23:13–26:37
• NBA Blame Game & Lessons in Leadership: 28:21–32:42
• Tributes to Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins: 33:00–34:03

---

This episode offered a fast-paced, insight-rich breakdown of both the Spurs’ emerging dominance and the seismic front-office drama shaping the Sixers’ near future, all delivered with a mix of sharp analysis and candid, conversational tone true to the hosts and The Athletic’s reporting style.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for May 13, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with EsperaHenny. Coming up, the spurs smash the wolves in Game 5. Tony Jones is here to talk about Daryl More being let go by the Sixers. Good morning everybody. What is up S. How's it going, buddy?

[Espera Henny]

Man, I'm doing all right, man. Great game though.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Espera Henny]

For the Spurs I will say it

[Dave DeFore]

was an interesting game and I. I believe that the Spurs I and I think that this happened before game five. I think the spurs have the Wolves kind of figured out. I. I likely think. I think that they likely win game four if Victor Wembanyama isn't ejected. But game five, all Spurs 126, 97. Wimy comes out of the gate with 16 points in the first six minutes.

[Espera Henny]

He looked mad.

[Dave DeFore]

I gotta say something. Okay. Yeah, he looked mad. He had some kind of a point to prove. But it was Being sold like this was some sort of a redemption thing. And like he threw a nasty elbow into Nas Reed's neck. I, I don't need that. I, I don't mind him coming out, being motivated. That's fine. Like he's a basketball player. He got thrown out. He may be a little bit mad at himself, but it doesn't need to be painted as some kind of.

[Espera Henny]

As a redemption.

[Dave DeFore]

He's back. Oh, wow. Like, like he was injured or something. Like. No, he committed a flagrant too. He was frankly probably a little bit lucky to avoid a suspension. I don't think it should have gone there and I don't think any, any.

[Espera Henny]

I would have been shocked if they.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it would have been shocking. But still, if this is a regular season, any were suspended for a game, we, we probably all would say, okay, yeah, but not in the playoffs. But man, it was being sold like this guy had been hurt, you know, like, like the Wolves had run him off the court. That being said, he came out, he was incredible. Chip on his shoulder. He was fantastic. But I do think that the way it was framed was, was pretty funny.

[Espera Henny]

It was funny, but truthfully, like it. He was just incredible in this game. The, the way, of course, the scoring was awesome, especially out the gate. Sixteen points in that first quarter matched his playoff career high for a quarter, which he did like, I don't know, three games ago. the same time, what he did defensively and truthfully, what he continues to do defensively in this series is, Is genuinely something I've never seen before. The amount of calculations the Timberwolves are doing in their heads when Wemby is on the floor versus when he's off the floor, attacking the paint versus not attacking the paint. The Neverminds that everybody has become very, very accustomed to. It's all because of Victor Wembanyama and he is completely nullified. Both Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle offensively in the series. Those guys don't exist offensively in this series and it just, it's really hard for the Timberwolves to, to your point about them being solved. It's just hard for them to get enough offense from that team when Anthony Edwards is getting double teamed and kind of getting trapped everywhere on the floor and there's not enough outlets for them to score offensively. It's. You're. You're kind of chasing your tail at this point, trying to find things for them. So yeah, that's a Victor Wemanyama problem.

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[Dave DeFore]

They've also. The, the Wolves, I Gotta say, their offense left me puzzled at times. I didn't know what their, what the point was. A lot of times in their half court offense they, they've abandoned attacking the rim when Wemby's out there, even though they, they had success by making him work. I did think that their physicality on Wemby in the game was working. Like they had him worn down. I, I thought at times the game was tied at 61 a piece and it finishes 126, 97. This was completely like just a switch was flipped by the spurs at both ends and it didn't, didn't hurt them that the Wolves just stopped running any sort of offense. Julius Randle with a lot of dribbling to nowhere and frankly, as good as Rudy has been up to this point in the playoffs, this game was absolutely atrocious on both is he didn't help them on the defensive end very much. And on offense he was really a liability and they probably should have gone away from him a little bit faster, you know, than they did. But the spurs have just, they've got them figured out. If you're going to stay outside and shoot threes, they're going to let you, you know, and their guards are going to make those tough shots. But an unwillingness to even enter the paint when Wemby is out there and then when he sits, this was the thing that really got me us. They didn't attack Luke Cornett, so they were still just outside settling for outside shots. I didn't think that they went into the, into the pain enough trying to get Luke Cornett in foul trouble. Right. Like what you want to do is just make it harder on the spurs to play because Wemby, we already know, like there's a minutes limit for Wimy. Like he's, he, he. They do not want to put him at 40 minutes and I think up around 35, 36 minutes, we start to see that guy get gassed. But they're just not making him work hard enough at, at either end.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah, I agree with that. I also think, you know, like, when it comes to athleticism, as crazy as it sounds from the Timberwolves side, because the Timberwolves have a lot of great athletes too. Between IO and Anthony Edwards and McDaniels, like those guys are very, very good athletes, but those are the only guys that are truthfully performing in this series right now. You talk about an athletic disadvantage. Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle really are seeing the limits of their athleticism against this spurs team that is Flying around everywhere. And at any given moment you're dealing with Steph Castle on a switch or Dylan Harper on a switch or Carter, Carter Bryant working on the help side. And of course, Wemby. What they show you defensively is so much that I think Randall, his. Sometimes he gets into his like isolation tunnel vision bag sometimes. Maybe a little complimentary, generous. Yeah, yeah, exactly. A lot of times he gets into his isolation tunnel vision bag. You just can't do that against the spurs team. You have to be able to move the ball. That's what I think. Ant has done really well in this series. Like his ability to move off of it quickly when he's getting trapped or recognizing when the double team is coming. And what can you like, think of the growth that we've seen from Anthony Edwards from the Western Conference finals a couple of years ago to now when it comes to dealing with double teams and just reading the floor a little bit better. That's an incredible part of this series. I think. Even if the Timberwolves do lose.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Espera Henny]

I also think assessment wise, moving forward for this Timberwolves team, because it feels like this might be the last chance we get to talk about them until the summer.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Espera Henny]

What do they do to get this team over the hump? Because they've been knocking on the door. They obviously have this talented player who can be the number one on a championship team in Anthony. What is the thing, what is the thing that they have to do to upgrade and get better? Is he honest? Is Giannis.

[Dave DeFore]

I don't know if Giannis is the thing, but some. Someone else I, I believe is the thing. I, I don't think Rudy is the problem. I, I do think like Julius Randall is either.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I think Julius Randall is the guy who's going to get a lot of the finger pointing and rightfully so. Like this is supposed to be that the secondary creator, Anthony Edwards is getting doubled every single time. He's also playing on one leg.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And still performing. I mean, at a certain point, like you need a Julius Randall game if you're gonna get to the conference finals. I think Jaden McDaniels could, can even do more for them, you know, offense.

[Espera Henny]

He's shown he can do more too.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. So, I mean, you know, and again, it goes back to. I, I do believe that the philosophy that they've gone away from on offense where they were just, they had dedicated themselves in game one, they were just pounding the paint. I mean, Wemby had 12 blocks because he had so many opportunities, but it it puts pressure on the defense. Maybe you get your driving kick game going and you get a better look at these threes. But if you're not even willing to look at the basket when Wemby's on the court, you're just not going to score. And again, I think that the spurs have played this perfectly. Their big guards have done a great job. I mean, Steph, Steph Castle has done a really good job guarding Julius Randle. They've been able to play smaller, which makes them faster and better on offense. And, and the Wolves have not taken advantage of that in any way whatsoever.

[Espera Henny]

It's funny to say smaller when Steph Castle is 65 and Dylan Harper 6 6. And you're like, these are their guards, right. These are the guys that they're dealing with.

[Dave DeFore]

They're all playing up. This is the thing is like, you know, every single, like Harper, who was excellent. We'll talk about him in a second. But, but Harper and Castle, their ability to guard up, to guard these fours.

[Espera Henny]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, you can put them on Nas, Reed and they're not just going to get mashed into the pavement like this has been huge.

[Espera Henny]

You know who that reminds me of? The Oklahoma City Thunder. Because like Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, you can put those guys on taller guys, bigger guys, and you kind of live with those positions. That's why that matchup, if we end up getting it, is going to be so fascinating because both these teams are like a mirror image of each other.

[Dave DeFore]

Tons of ball handling.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Tons of, of switchable defenders. Just interchangeable parts. Yeah. It's gonna, I mean, if we get there, which it does feel like, spurs are up three games to two. I do feel like they're, they're in control. They're in the driver seat more so than just being up 3 to 2. I just feel like they are the better team, especially right now. I wish we could have gotten this series at full health. I do want to hit Dylan Harper because I asked you the other night, is he their second best player? Is he the spurs second best player? I mean, I think you watch a game like this. Yes. Like this is the, the future core of this team is Victor, Women, Yama, Dylan Harper, and then insert other names. It's those two guys.

[Espera Henny]

I have to include Steph Cassidy.

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[Dave DeFore]

Absolutely. He's the third guy, though.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah. Yeah. If, if we, if I were to make a comp, this would be kd, Westbrook and Harden and hopefully these guys never break up. You know, and I think the great thing about all three of these players in Wemby and Harper and Castle is that it's so unique, right? The. It's the two guards that are getting downhill, that are barreling their way to the basket, that are driving the offense. And then it's Wemby, who's the guy spacing the floor. The seven footer. The seven foot four guys. The guy spacing the floor, stretching the defense, obviously playing incredible defense on the other side. But it's so counter to what most people might think of when it comes to basketball where it's like, oh, the big guy is scoring inside and then it's the. The guards who are scoring outside on the perimeter. But no, the spurs flip this on its head and I think that's. That's what makes them really fun to watch. Of course, the defensive side of the ball too. There's a togetherness to what they do and drive. I love guards who are able to drive the way Dylan Harper and Steph Castle can. And when you have that, you have that tangible, physical play that those guys can provide, it's genuinely incredible to watch. So, yeah, I don't know, man. Maybe he is the second best player. He. He's like, he could be a first team. If we were to look back at this in five years and say Dylan Harper has made like two all NBA teams already, wouldn't be surprised. Would not be surprised at all.

[Dave DeFore]

I think there's a world in which in this very talented draft class that he was a part of that four or five years from now, we all kind of say, oh, this was the most talented guy. I've had a lot of people in my ear saying that all season long. I think we're actually starting to see that as he's matured over the course of the season and you're watching him in these high leverage positions and he just does not look like a rookie.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. All right, guys, stick around. After the break, Daryl Morey was fired by the Sixers. We got Tony Jones here to tell us all about it.

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[Dave DeFore]

Hot on the heels of being swept out of the playoffs by the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers parted ways yesterday. With general manager Daryl More here to join us to talk about it. Our Philadelphia 76ers beat writer at the Athletic, my good buddy Tony Jones. What's up, buddy? Hey, Full disclosure, I'm going to let everybody know. We already recorded.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

An 18 minute segment about two hours before Daryl Morey got fired. So we predicted this. We, we did. In, in the segment, we said, hey, I don't know, doesn't seem like it's very good, Tony. I don't think it was going well for Daryl.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, it, it was, you know, it was. I think I'm a little surprised by the timing. I thought it would take another few days. But, you know, I, I get it from ownership perspective. The meat of the combine starts essentially tomorrow.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And, you know, you kind of want some, you kind of don't want to go into that, you know, with ambiguity with your front office. So I think that kind of sped up the timeline a little bit of, you know, ownership, you know, having to make a final decision. And ultimately the decision was, hey, we've been good. But, you know, this is the Philadelphia 76ers, and this is probably more important. This is the Eastern Conference, not the Western Conference, and we have yet to go to a conference finals. So, you know, I think if you looked at this Knicks series and you look at, you know, the violence of it, 4 0, the Knicks taking over Xfinity Mobile arena, the Sixers allowing 144 points at home in a playoff game, in a closeout game, something had to change. And if you can't change the roster, then something is probably going to have to change up top. And you know, it was Daryl more then you.

[Espera Henny]

You change the guy who built the roster. Because that's what Daryl Morey has been doing for the last six seasons. Whether it's obviously drafting Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain and BJ Edgecomb, trading Jared McCain, trading Jared McCain, extending Joel Embiid, signing Paul George, like really, this is Daryl Morey project. This entire team is top from top down. Do you think it is somewhat poetic that of all people, Bob Myers is going to be stepping in as interim GM to just kind of keep things sailing before they find someone else to be president of basketball operations? Is it not somewhat funny or maybe ironic that he's the guy?

[Tony Jones]

I think. I think there's some irony involved. I think you could probably make some. Some this is too soon jokes.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

About this right now. You know, I think, you know, some things from, from Daryl's point of view, you know, I think that he's disappointed that this decision was made. Yeah. Surprised that this decision was made. You know, he wanted to see this to the end. Right. And he wanted to see this through. And he thought that, you know, he had, you know, built an infrastructure even around the. The contracts to see it through. You know, he's the. This. The clippers pick in 28, you know, as a particular, particularly valuable asset, as well as the 29 pick swap. And, you know, and I think that, you know, and I just think that, that, you know, Daryl was disappointed that he did not see this through. I can tell you through sources that Daryl very much wants to work again. You know, he's probably going to take the. The. The year off, but he. He very much wants to work again. I learned that tonight through sources, but, you know, my sources, team sources tell me that, you know, ownership was, you know, there were. There were five of the last six years. All right, we make the playoffs, but we don't get past the second round. But I think a really important thing through sources is that the last two years were pretty chaotic internally. And I think that that had. That has something to do with, you know, ownership saying, okay, we might need, you know, a new strategic voice at the top to try to get to where we need to go.

[Dave DeFore]

What do you mean chaotic? Can you elaborate any.

[Tony Jones]

Well, a lot of that was in, you know, in the piece.

[Espera Henny]

Right.

[Tony Jones]

You know, the shoot around that happened in Washington, that almost did not happen because players had to be talked off the ledge because, you know, there was. There was a, let's say, a gap, so to speak, in player participation. In team activities, you know, so I think that that was, you know, and just overall, you know, just kind of unrest internally. You know, knowing some of the things that I know that went on behind the scenes this year kind of amazes team won 45 games.

[Dave DeFore]

Are you surprised? Yeah. I mean, given that, are you surprised that they've decided that they're going to stay with Nick Nurse? Because wouldn't it, wouldn't that be even more involved in the day to day and if there's problems behind the scenes in the locker room, you feel like

[Espera Henny]

a clean slate, right?

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah. So that's a, that's a really good question. And you know, and the answer is I think that ownership looks at Nick and, and says we have to give you a pass because you just have not have full rosters to deal with. And you know, and I think that there's some, some thought among ownership that because of that we can't really make a full evaluation of you. But we know that you're a championship level coach, we know that your players play for you, we know that you have the backing of some key players in the locker room. And I think that, that, that kind of, that really goes far, you know, because one of the reasons that Michael Malone is no longer in Denver is because he lost the key players in his locker room. And I think that one of the reasons why Nick Nurse is still here is because he has to keep players in this locker room. So, you know, I think that, that those are, those are some of the things that, that you look at and listen, you know, there's a, there's probably going to be a new, there's probably going to be a new gm, right? It's probably going to be a brand spanking new gm. Who's to say that he doesn't come in in a year and in a year, you know, he says, you know, I want a new coach.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Espera Henny]

Because that's his decision. Right.

[Tony Jones]

And that's, that's the, the pitfalls of making a move like this. Correct?

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And it puts a lot of pressure on Nick Nurse to win next year and actually win big.

[Espera Henny]

I mean, looking, looking forward at who might actually step into this situation. This is a really hard situation for a general manager to step into because the, the like you mentioned the contractual situations of Embiid and Paul George. And you know, in the previous podcast we recorded, we talked about building around the margins and, and working on internal development for this group. Who do you think might be a candidate to be the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers. I know it's early, but if you, if you can think of any names,

[Tony Jones]

I, I, I pressed my sources on that. I didn't get anything. I think everybody would love to pry Tim Connolly away from Minnesota. Probably don't think that's going to happen. Right. But you know, I know that Travis Schlank is out there and you know, he's somebody that came up under Bob Myers and you know, this is not me reporting that he is, yeah, he is a candidate, but, you know, he's

[Dave DeFore]

out there like he's a relationship business.

[Tony Jones]

It's a relationship business.

[Dave DeFore]

Is there anybody internally that, that could maybe like get a bump up? I mean, maybe just some dark horse candidate? We don't know about that.

[Tony Jones]

I, that I, I couldn't say. But I do think that there are, you know, are a couple of people who I think are going to end up running a team at some point in internally and I think Jermaine Nelson is one of them. You know, he's in his first year's assistant gm. I think that he's been, you know, instrumental. Again, this is not me reporting that he is a candidate, but, you know, he is somebody who, one of the

[Espera Henny]

names that could be considered, right?

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, he's, I think that he's one of the names that theoretically could be considered. Yeah, yeah. But, you know, not, you know, I think that we're gonna, you know, listen, nobody wants to go into drafting free agency without a GM in place.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

So my thought is this is going to go rather quickly, you know, and I think that ownership is in, Bob. They're resolute that, you know, they're going to take their time and try to get, get the hire correctly. Get the hire correct. But you know, like I said, nobody, nobody wants to go into the draft and say, hey, we're drafting without a gm.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, and especially because look for, for whatever people think about Daryl Morey and the job that he's done, he's a good gm. I think his track record in Houston and here.

[Espera Henny]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

He put together a good team. Had this team been healthy, they would have performed better. And maybe some of the behind the scenes stuff doesn't happen. Right. Like, so to defend him there, he's done a pretty good job. And so to let him go at this point of your year where you're heading into, we're looking at the draft, we're thinking about free agency. What are we going to, you know, what moves we're going to make this summer. You better have an idea of someone at least on the same level, if not an upgrade. I just don't know where that's going to be. Tony, what is. What is the main priority for the new guy when he comes in or, you know, new woman when she comes in?

[Tony Jones]

The main priority for the new hire has got to be to be on the same page as Joel Embiid. It's got to be.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah,

[Tony Jones]

I think that what happened today is a pretty powerful message sent from ownership that we have got to stop going through some of the internal stuff that we've gone through in the last two years. And I think that that's, you know, that that's something because Daryl is a good gm.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And, you know, I just think that, you know, being at odds with Joel and previously being at odds with James Harden, you know, that's something that became untenable at the ownership level. So, like we said, this is a relationships business. And, you know, if you're going to win a championship, everybody's got to be pulling on the same. On the rope at the same time in the same direction. So I think that, you know, relationship wise, new hires got to come in, be on the same page with Joel, be on the same page with Tyrese Maxey, Be on the same page or vj, etchcombe, if that happens, that's going to trickle down to the rest of the roster. Be on the same page with Coach Nurse and, you know, try to go and figure this thing out. Because the New York Knicks showed you in no uncertain terms that you are far away from the top of the mountain in the. In the Eastern Conference, and the Sixers have to figure out how to climb that mountain.

[Espera Henny]

Tony, I'm kind of curious because obviously you've been covering the league for a really long time. You covered the Jazz for a very long time, and you've seen teams kind of go through their life cycles. But you've also, like, there's a blame game that goes around when expectations don't match reality. How does that blame game work in the NBA? Like, is there. Is it all relationships based and not just necessarily when it comes to the Sixers, but generally from what you've seen, how does the blame game work when it comes to. When something doesn't go the way a team expects it to?

[Tony Jones]

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I think that. That I've dealt with a couple of those, right. In Utah, I dealt with Quinn Snyder and Dennis Lindsay, two people who I, you know, really like dearly. Yeah, really going at it. And. And, you know, and it ended up with both of them elsewhere. First Dennis Lindsay and then, you know, and then Quinn Snyder. But that precipitated with change in ownership. Had that change in ownership not been made, I'm convinced Dennis Lindsay might still be there.

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[Tony Jones]

So there's that. And then, you know, in Denver in 2024, I want to say. Or was it 2025. But the coach, the Malone situation.

[Dave DeFore]

25.

[Espera Henny]

25.

[Tony Jones]

Yeah. Yeah. The coach and GM hated each other. Couldn't stand to be in the same building each other. And ownership. Ownership met with those two in January of that year and told them to knock it off, and they couldn't. So both of them got fired.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

And.

[Dave DeFore]

But if Michael Malone doesn't lose the locker room, he's probably still there, right?

[Tony Jones]

Michael Malone doesn't lose the locker room. He's probably still there. But they also dismiss Calvin Booth strictly because they did not want it to appear publicly that Calvin Booth won the tug of war with Michael Malone. So it's pr. It's pr.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

So in here, what we have is, you know, a team that improbably beats the Boston Celtics, and you're on the high of highs, and then now you're on the lower lows eight days later. And then all of the bad feeling from what happened during the regular season comes back. Right. And something has to change. And ownership says, well, we're just going to start with the GM and we're going to dismiss him.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

So it. It happens for differing reasons. And, you know, and I can say. And probably all three of those scenarios that I covered, it didn't have anything to do with the ability to actually do the job.

[Espera Henny]

Right.

[Tony Jones]

I think in this case, it did have something to do because, you know, the Jerry McCain thing, I think those are. But a lot of. In this case, you know, it had to do with, you know, stuff other than doing the actual job.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Tony Jones]

So maybe.

[Dave DeFore]

Maybe Josh Harris watched the Thunder sweep the Lakers night before last, and he was just like, you know what? Can't do it anymore.

[Tony Jones]

Well, it's actually funny that you say that, because the Lakers were the complete antithesis of the 76ers 24 hours ago. 24 hours.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Tony Jones]

The Sixers pretty much laid down in their game four, and the. The Lakers went out. You know, they went out like GS. Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

They showed a lot of heart. And they almost said it. Yeah. Listen, I. I'll say this. If you're a gm, don't trade Luka Doic. I can guarantee you won't get fired for trading Luka Dodic.

[Espera Henny]

That.

[Dave DeFore]

That's about the only thing I can guarantee. Everybody go and read Tony Jones. Go read his. His recap piece of the season looking back. And go read about Daryl Morey and where the 76ers go from here. Thank you, Tony, for hanging out with us. Appreciate you, buddy.

[Tony Jones]

Thanks, guys. Appreciate y'.

[Dave DeFore]

All. Before we get out of here, we wanted to add our condolences. It was a very sad day around the NBA in the basketball world yesterday. Brandon Clark, forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, passed away at age 29. And Jason Collins, former NBA player, first professional male athlete in the four major sports to be an openly gay active player. Jason Collins passed away at the age of 47 from glioblastoma. So we want to extend our condolences to their families. To the Grizzlies.

[Espera Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

To everybody around the basketball world. Very sad day.

[Espera Henny]

It's always a sad day when, when things like this happen. And absolutely condolences to their family, to the loved ones around them. Death isn't easy on anybody, and I just, I wish everybody the best. It's really hard to see this happen. Two guys who were. Were young, 29 and 47 years old, like, that's, that's the hard part about this. But again, condolences to their family and to. To everybody around them. Tough day for the NBA. Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, really tough. Thank you guys for listening. That's it for the show for Tony Jones and Esper Henny. I'm Dave Dufour and this is Ben the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a like leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.

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