Daryl Morey Faces Internal Pressure as Unlikely Joel Embiid Situation Decides 76ers Future

It’s been a quiet offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team’s GM Daryl Morey has added Trendon Watford, VJ Edgecombe, Dominick Barlow, and a couple of more young talents. This is a huge turnaround from last summer when the Sixers landed nine-time All-Star Paul George, an addition that has made the headlines several times, but for all the wrong reasons. So, perhaps this quiet offseason is for the best, right? Seems so. That’s because Morey has been facing a lot of heat as of late.

But why? Well, if you’re a Philly fan, you might already know why. If you don’t, then last summer’s huge splash on PG and Embiid hasn’t yielded the results everyone was hoping for, and obviously, the Sixers GM has been receiving a lot of stick for that. After all, handing out a massive $211.5 million deal to George doesn’t seem like a wise decision in hindsight. That’s exactly what Philadelphia Insider, Keith Pompey, pointed out during a recent interview.

The Sixers reporter revealed that the 76ers supporters do not like Morey’s decisions from last season. “Another thing that Daryl Morey is getting destroyed for in Philly is, you know, when you look at it, the Paul George thing has to really work out and it may work out, but when you look at it and you say to yourself, you gave this guy 211.5 million and you were the only team in free agency who were willing to give him that fourth year. No one else did. Right. So, if it doesn’t work out, that’s a bad look.” Pompey stated.

He pointed out that Morey is feeling the internal pressure for the Paul George deal. Pompey even described it as something that, if that doesn’t work, would be a bad look for the Sixers’ general manager. Last season, as the veteran guard’s first year in Philadelphia, it’s safe to say that he did not turn up. Although injuries did not help his cause, even when he was on the field, George looked like a shadow of his old self. However, PG’s huge contract isn’t the only problem within the Sixers, according to Pompey.

There’s one more thing that Morey could’ve done better. “The other bad look is when you gave Embiid the extension three years, two years before it was up; his time was up. And so now you look at it, you have, you know, two guys who, you know, I mean, the crazy part is Embiid’s extension doesn’t even kick in until next, not this upcoming season, the season after that.” Pompey said in the Big 3 NBA podcast. Another decision that has added another layer of pressure on Morey is his decision to offer Embiid a three-year $193 million extension.

You don’t have to be an NBA analyst to figure out that offering an injury-prone player like Embiid an extension a few years before his current contract was up wasn’t the smartest piece of business. More so, after he suited up for just 19 games last season. Obviously, these decisions were a recipe for disaster last season for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, that could change if Joel Embiid’s situation improves this year. But how?

Keith Pompey says Sixers could be a top-four team if Joel Embiid is fit

Last season was a forgetful one for the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s because, despite boasting a star-studded team, the Sixers finished with a terrible 24-58 record and missed on a playoff berth for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Although they did not play up to their potential, what affected Philly the most was untimely injuries. We mean, it’s hard to recall many instances when Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey were together on the floor.

However, whenever they did play together, the Sixers looked threatening, and with the addition of VJ Edgecombe, they could make waves. That’s why Keith Pompey stated that Philly could be among the best teams in the NBA next season. “I think if Joel Embiid comes back and plays at an extremely high level, like towards his MVP level, win that season when he was that and can stay healthy, I think they can be a top four team in the East regular season wide. I think so.” The Insider predicted.

You’ve got to agree with Pompey here, despite coming off a terrible season, if Joel Embiid can stay healthy, the Sixers surely will be one of the teams to watch. More so, because the Eastern Conference is wide open next season, with the Celtics and Pacers missing their superstars. So, if Embiid returns to his MVP form, he and the Sixers will be a real problem for the rest of the league. However, staying fit has been a real concern for the former MVP. So, whether he can manage to stay fit or not will be something to keep an eye on, as we await the new season.