Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey plans to retool the Sixers’ roster this offseason and build around stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, according to multiple sources.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Nic Batum are all ending the season on an expired contract. Morey has roughly $65 million in cap space, a first-round draft pick, and a max contract to offer to Maxey this summer.
“We’re not going to have continuity,” Morey said Monday at the 76ers’ headquarters. “We’ll have continuity with our stars and our head coach, but we’re going to have a lot of changes this season.”
The Sixers’ first-round exit against the New York Knicks made it 41 years since the franchise’s last NBA championship. Philadelphia hasn’t advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2001.
Daryl Morey said he wants Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to “feel good and comfortable” about the players around them but said that they can make a lot of players work given their talent: pic.twitter.com/87aIdZejoj
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) May 6, 2024
“We’re focused on Joel and Tyrese, and we’re focused on now,” Morey said.
According to reports, the 76ers plan to add a veteran star this summer to help Embiid and Maxey. Players mentioned include Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
James and George would have to decline player options to hit the market. However, other notable options suggested by NBA insiders include Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse coached Siakam and DeRozan with the Toronto Raptors. Both players are free agents and would help upgrade Philadelphia’s frontcourt.
“You have to factor in the age,” Morey said. “We feel like we’re in the window where we have to win now. We’re mostly focused on getting the best players that fit with Joel and Tyrese.”
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey is OK with Joel Embiid playing for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Joel Embiid will be 31 next March in his ninth NBA season, and everyone is expecting the seven-time All-Star center to once again miss a number of games. He has never played more than 68 games in a season.
“I feel like I could have done a better job with the players so that we were in a better spot to win without him,” Morey said. “That said, we do spend 90 percent of the time…