Daryl Morey Explains Adding Picks to Complete James Harden Deal

When the Philadelphia 76ers landed the superstar guard James Harden, a large group of folks believed the Sixers gave up too much. Ben Simmons? It was inevitable

When the Philadelphia 76ers landed the superstar guard James Harden, a large group of folks believed the Sixers gave up too much.

Ben Simmons? It was inevitable that the Sixers would move the disgruntled multi-time All-Star as he refused to play for the 76ers again.

Adding in additional talent was expected, as Harden carries more value than Simmons even at 32-years-old. Therefore, the veteran guard Seth Curry and the veteran center Andre Drummond were thrown in the mix.

And lastly, the Sixers added draft picks as well. Two first-rounders and three players seems like a lot on paper. But without those additional two picks, the Nets either wanted one of two specific players from the 76ers -- or no deal would get done.

Daryl Morey Reveals the Nets' Demands

On an episode of "The Colin Cowherd Podcast," Morey discussed the deal and revealed what many of us already knew; the Brooklyn Nets wanted Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle along with Simmons, Curry, and Drummond.

It was revealed early on in the negotiating process that Maxey was off the table. As the second-year guard emerged as a rising star in 2021-2022, the Sixers didn't want to give Brooklyn a 21-year-old emerging star.

"So obviously we’re trying to keep Tyrese Maxey and (Matisse) Thybulle out of the deal and, obviously, my job is to keep track of the future. They ended up insisting on two first round picks if we didn’t include them and they were pretty steadfast. At the end of the day, you have to either decide to make a deal or pass and we’ve passed many times."

Thybulle was considered nearly untouchable many times throughout the year. On the day of the deadline, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that everything between Philly and Brooklyn was agreed upon except for Thybulle.

Knowing they could land a ten-time All-Star to pair up with Embiid, Morey couldn't make it that far just to lose the deal. Therefore, he settled on giving up several picks rather than giving up an elite defensive talent such as Thybulle. The Sixers might've lost some key assets for the future, but Morey made it clear that the goal is to win now and maximize Joel Embiid's prime.

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