76ers News: Daryl Morey Speaks on 'Risky' Plan to Target Paul George

76ers executive admits going after All-Star forward was risky.

Sep 30, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) poses for a photo on media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

During the summer of 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in another unwanted predicament. Not long removed from the Ben Simmons saga, James Harden was the latest All-Star to publicly demand a trade.

Throughout his career as an executive, Daryl Morey has been known to make big swings in the trade market. However, he ended up going a different route with Harden. He got him the change of scenery he wanted, shipping him to the LA Clippers for a package of veterans of draft picks.

Pieces of the return package, most notably Nic Batum, aided the Sixers in the short term. That said, Morey made this trade with the long view in mind. Taking on expiring contracts put Philly in a position to be a major player in free agency.

This approach ended up paying off for Morey and the Sixers in a big way, as they managed to land the biggest name on the market. Following a five-year run with the LA Clippers, Paul George decided to come to Philly on a four-year max contract.

During an interview with The Athletic while the team was in the Bahamas for training camp, Morey reflected on the Sixers landed PG. He did not shy away from his true thoughts, admitting that the plan was risky.

“We were taking what we thought was the best plan to keep ourselves in title contention, but it definitely was a risky plan,” Morey told The Athletic. “They don’t always work out, but we felt like all the other plans were worse.”

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Sixers find themselves with arguably their best chance to contend in the Joel Embiid era. For starters, they have a big three loaded with firepower in Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey. On top of that, Morey rounded out the supporting cast with productive pieces like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin.

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Following this impressive offseason, Morey feels the Sixers have the pieces in place to be one of the NBA's top teams.

“I feel like we’re one of the top few teams,” Morey said. “I think Boston’s pretty clearly the team that deserves to be called the favorite. They played great last year. They played really historically well, but I think we have a shot to get right in there, in the mix with them, and beat them this year.”

The Sixers are continuing their preseason schedule at the moment. Their quest for a deep playoff run will officially begin on October 23rd with an opening night matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.