One Rumored Candidate for Sixers President Would Be a Huge Mistake

If the Sixers hire Neil Olshey to be Daryl Morey's successor, they're asking for trouble.

Jan. 10, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey poses with point guard Damian Lillard (0) as Lillard was presented with the Western conference rookie of the month award for December 2012 before the game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 92-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-Imagn Images | Steve Dykes-Imagn Images

It's now been one week since the Sixers parted ways with team president Daryl Morey.

The search for his replacement is already underway, and potential candidates are beginning to trickle out.

On Sunday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line shared a few of those names, including Atlanta Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and Oklahoma City Thunder vice president of identification and intelligence Vince Rozman, who previously spent 16 years with the Sixers.

However, one candidate whom Stein mentioned—former Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey—should give Sixers fans major pause.

Why the Sixers should pass on Olshey

The Sixers hired Olshey as a consultant to their basketball operations staff in October 2023. Prior to his arrival in Philly, he spent nearly a decade in the Los Angeles Clippers' front office and was the Portland Trail Blazers' general manager from June 2012 until December 2021.

The Blazers went 413-330 (.556) during Olshey's time at the helm, although they were only 23-40 in the playoffs. They made the playoffs for eight straight seasons, but they won only four playoff series in total and advanced past the Western Conference Semifinals just once in 2018-19.

The Sixers just parted ways with Morey in part because they still have yet to make it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the Joel Embiid era. Hiring an executive who repeatedly ran into a similar roadblock in the West would be questionable, even if his Blazers had the misfortune of playing in the same conference as Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.

In Olshey's first draft, the Blazers landed Damian Lillard with the No. 6 overall pick. One year later, they snagged CJ McCollum at No. 10. The Blazers built around that duo for nearly a decade before jettisoning McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2022 trade deadline.

While Olshey's draft record was fairly solid in Portland, he had a far more checkered history on the trade and free-agent markets. That isn't the biggest reason why the Sixers should steer clear of him, though.

The circumstances surrounding his exit in Portland are.

'Complaints around workplace environment'

In December 2021, the Blazers fired Olshey "following an independent investigation that determined he violated the team's code of conduct," according to ESPN.

Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the law firm hired by the Blazers "concluded Olshey often confronted staffers and cursed toward them." He also "allegedly made an inappropriate comment toward a female staff member, which was cited during the investigation."

"Olshey earned a reputation for his temper during his 10 seasons in Portland, often privately disparaging co-workers," they added. "Staffers described Olshey as abrasive and controlling."

When the Blazers opened their investigation into Olshey, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that employees alleged "a toxic, hostile work environment where staff members have been subjected to intimidation and profanity-laced tirades, among other bullying tactics. Several staffers "express[ed] relief because of the investigation after 10 years of mistreatment leading to mental and physical stress," Haynes added.

According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports, the Sixers were "aware of the circumstances surrounding Olshey's departure from the Blazers," but they "felt comfortable moving forward with Olshey in the consultant role." There's a major difference between allowing Olshey to operate as a consultant from afar and putting him in charge of basketball operations, though.

Last week, Myers and Sixers managing partner Josh Harris held a press conference following Morey's departure. Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer specifically asked Myers what qualities he was looking for in Morey's replacement, to which Myers replied: "I'm a big believer in character and leadership, and I'm looking for a person that embodies those things."

Based on how Olshey's tenure ended in Portland, does it sound like he fits that bill?

The good news is that on Tuesday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line poured cold water on Olshey as a possible candidate for the job.

"I'm told that former Clippers and Trail Blazers top executive Neil Olshey, who holds a strong relationship with Myers and has served as a Sixers consultant for the past three seasons, is not pursuing the job and won't be part of this Myers-led search," Fischer wrote. "Sources say Olshey could, though, remain with the organization in an advisory role."

The Sixers need to foster a positive team culture moving forward, which begins at the top of the organization. Joy and empathy were two of the defining principles of the Warriors under Myers and head coach Steve Kerr. Given the success Myers had in Golden State, it wouldn't be surprising if he looked to emulate that approach in Philadelphia.

The Sixers need a front office executive who can inspire and uplift his or her staff rather than one with a history of creating a toxic work environment. If they opt to keep Olshey on as a consultant, that's their choice.

But given how his tenure in Portland ended, installing him as the head of their front office would be asking for trouble.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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