Sixers' First Offseason Move Comes in the Front Office

The Sixers have parted ways with Daryl Morey on Tuesday evening after meeting with ownership, Shams Charania of ESPN reported. Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment has tasked its President, Bob Myers, to anchor the search for Philadelphia’s new lead executive and will oversee the team in the meanwhile.

Nick Nurse, however, will continue to serve as head coach, entering his fourth season with the Sixers.

“To our fans, your frustration and disappointment are understandable and warranted,” said Josh Harris in the team’s statement on Tuesday evening. “We have fallen well short of our own expectations and failed to deliver in the way this city deserves. That bothers me deeply and I have confidence in Bob to establish a path forward for our franchise.”

The team has officially announced that they have parted ways with Daryl Morey after 6 seasons at the helm #Sixers pic.twitter.com/vx7S4DLHNd
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) May 13, 2026

Was Morey’s firing warranted?

Was firing Morey the correct move? Probably. But, Philadelphia won't see real change until ownership either has a change of heart or sells the team. The Sixers have ducked the luxury tax threshold for four consecutive seasons and if HBSE continues to save money, a new lead executive won't change that.

This is not to say Morey was innocent, however. He has notoriously mismanaged young talent throughout the years and his relationship with the team seemingly decayed this season. Look no further than the team trading Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft capital on February 4. While it was HSBE’s goal to save money, Morey’s power was to figure out how to do so.

McCain now has the highest 3-point percentage in playoff history at a 54.2% mark, fresh off advancing to the Western Conference Finals. There was also the Sixers cutting Isaiah Joe on October 13, 2022, another coveted shooter in Oklahoma City’s rotation.

Philadelphia waiving Julian Champagnie February 14, 2023 to allow then-Blue Coat Mac McClung to participate in the dunk contest was also unforgettable. Champagne tallied 11.1 points per game on 38.1% shooting from beyond the arc for the San Antonio Spurs this season. Trading for James Harden, signing Paul George, and extending Joel Embiid all had some level of justification at the time, but moves like those listed above were his biggest flaw.

It's time for a new voice but it's on ownership to let that voice take charge.

Nurse is sticking around

I'm indifferent on Philadelphia retaining Nurse. On one hand, he has proven to be a postseason riser and can excel with the right group. Nurse’s adjustment to stop over-helping on the Boston Celtics’ perimeter shooters limited their damage from deep—a critical aspect of the Sixers’ 3-1 comeback in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. He also got the best out of the locker room from a resiliency lens amidst all the adversity Philadelphia dealt with, despite reported tension between players and coaching staff.

Sixers players met with the coaching staff in April to express frustration in a meeting so tense it “nearly derailed” a shootaround, per @Tjonesonthenba

“On April 1, the same day as Embiid’s social media post, a handful of players met with members of Philadelphia’s coaching… pic.twitter.com/u48intGU5j
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) May 11, 2026

On the other hand, his adjustments tended to come too late as shown by season-long blunders in the third quarter. The Sixers recorded the second-least number of points in the third quarter league-wide via Team Rankings, which frequently lost them games. Philadelphia’s defense sometimes gambled to its detriment and offense became isolation heavy when things got hard.

Again, Nurse has proven to be a quality coach when equipped with a solid rotation (look at the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors). The Sixers must build him a proper rotation he can depend on in games when Embiid rests or playoff series where his top-end talent is burnt out like the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.

It is odd, however, that Philadelphia chose to keep Nurse considering any incoming lead executive would like to have their own head coach. If the Sixers underperform once more next season, Nurse will likely be sitting on a hot seat.

The Myers part of it

It will be interesting to see where the Sixers go from here with Myers spearheading the search for a new executive. Many fans wanted Myers to replace Morey when he joined HBSE and he will at least for now. Philadelphia has not yet announced how long it projects its search to be as Harris and Myers will hold a press conference on Thursday at 4 p.m.

“I know how much the 76ers mean to the City of Philadelphia and it’s important we find the right leader to shape the future of this team,” Myers said. “The process will start immediately and we will be thorough and deliberate in our evaluations. I believe this is a destination for top talent across the league and look forward to solidifying our infrastructure moving forward.”

Joel Embiid reportedly hasn’t been seeing eye to eye with the Sixers front office and even had an issue with the Jared McCain trade, per @Tjonesonthenba

“As the season progressed, it became clear the star center didn’t see eye-to-eye with the front office and the coaching… pic.twitter.com/g0eYjUBIUe
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 11, 2026

The Sixers hold the 22nd overall pick in the 2026 draft as this offseason will be all about rebuilding the rotation. It is essential that whoever gets the job comes in with a vision of who they want to pair around Philadelphia's core four of Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe.

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