Sixers' Daryl Morey Raves About Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons

Heading into the 2020 NBA offseason, Daryl Morey wasn't sure if he wanted to continue working in the league or not. The former Houston Rockets General Manager had the idea of stepping down from his position within the Rockets' front office and taking time off from running a basketball team's front office. 

Then, the Philadelphia 76ers came calling. Morey described Sixers' Managing Partner Josh Harris as "relentless" after he stepped down from his position as Houston's GM. Although the Sixers were comfortable moving forward with Brand running the show, the opportunity to get Morey in the picture was hard for Philly to pass up.

On the other hand, a roster headlined by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons was too good for Morey to pass up as well. "The chance to work with Joel [Embiid], Ben [Simmons], and the roster that Elton [Brand] had put together -- this is a roster that has championship aspirations," Morey stated during his introductory press conference on Monday afternoon.

"He (Embiid) wants to win a championship," Morey continued. "He's a smart player who knows you only have so many opportunities. Frankly, I'm excited to go on this journey with Joel and Ben going forward." As the veteran executive discussed his excitement for joining the Sixers' organization, the former Rockets GM couldn't help but continue to bring up Embiid. And when the topic of a potential split-up between Embiid and Simmons came about -- Morey made it apparent that's not in the plans.

"The goal is to win championships," Morey stated. "So, whatever gets us there will do -- but I would say that two, you know, star-plus players at 24 and 26-years-old, that's why I couldn't get [Doc Rivers] to interview in Houston because he saw this roster and said it was amazing. Then I end up here a couple of weeks later, that was pretty cool." 

A lot can change over the next couple of months in regards to the 76ers' roster, but based on his initial thoughts, it seems Morey is more than content with the key stars he has in place as the presence of Simmons and Embiid helped get him to Philly. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_