Daryl Morey reportedly got a five-year year contract to take over basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers. Elton Brand, the GM in place before Morey arrived, had a contract set to expire after next season.
Not any more, Brand got a contract extension in Philadelphia, something first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic and confirmed by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark.
This locks in the Philadelphia front office for years to come. Morey will set the big picture agenda and ultimately has the hammer when decision time comes. At the same time, Brand will stay on as the Philadelphia GM and continue to work on the team’s day-to-day management under Morey’s direction.
Morey, Brand, and new coach Doc Rivers form the brain trust in Philly and need to figure out how to make the Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons pairing work. If it can.
Embiid is as good a center as there is in the game, with the ability to make plays on both ends of the court. He is a bully around the rim but can step out and hit the three, plus is a defensive force in the paint. Simmons can attack the rim with the best of them in the NBA, is a gifted passer, an elite defender, but his lack of a jump shot makes him defendable, particularly in the playoffs (when teams have more time to prep). More shooting and additional playmaking are at the top of the list, but how to do that with the massive contracts for Al Horford and Tobias Harris still on the books remains an open question.