Daryl Morey Discusses Partnership With Elton Brand in Sixers Front Office
Back in August, it was unclear if the Philadelphia 76ers planned to keep Elton Brand in the front office or not. As the team just wrapped up the 2019-2020 NBA season by getting swept in the first round of the playoffs after becoming the sixth-seed, changes were to be expected within the Sixers' organization.
The team fired head coach Brett Brown. Then, many expected general manager Elton Brand to be next. Instead, the opposite happened. The Sixers went ahead and eliminated the previous collaborative group of decision-makers as the organization planned to phase people out slowly.
Meanwhile, Brand took full control of everything and was put in charge of finding new front office personnel while searching for the team's next head coach. Months later, when Daryl Morey stepped down from the general manager job with the Houston Rockets, Brand urged the Sixers' Managing Partners to pursue Morey.
In a matter of weeks, the 76ers convinced Morey to come in and oversee the front office operation. Earlier this month, Morey was named the team's President of Basketball Operations. Although Brand basically took a backseat to Morey as he lost the final say on personnel decisions, the team's President refuses to take all the credit.
On Friday, Daryl Morey participated in an AMA session on Reddit to answer questions from Sixers fans. When asked about how the front office structure has been working, Morey thoroughly explained.
"Elton and I have been collaborating very closely," Morey said. "I think he has a chance to be one of the great GMs with his skill set. On top of that, he has the unique background of being a top NBA player -- all else equal with a GM; you would want someone who was a former NBA player -- it helps in many aspects of the job. I feel like it has been a great partnership where we are learning from each other."
The Sixers have recently revamped the roster by getting rid of players who struggled to coexist with the team's top stars for players who are better suited for the 76ers' on-court scheme. While Morey primarily receives most of the credit from outsiders looking in -- the front office mastermind refuses to take all of the spotlight away from Brand, who has a hand in everything related to the front office.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
