4 Key Takeaways from Daryl Morey's Radio Interview
Three weeks till the deadline.
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With the trade deadline just weeks away, Daryl Morey conducted his first public interview in months yesterday to discuss what we can expect to happen come February 10. It was a wide ranging conversation that revealed a number of things about the Sixers’ mindset and the market at large heading into the deadline.
Here in this piece, I’ll discuss my key takeaways from that conversation, and speculate a bit on what I expect to happen with Ben Simmons.
No. 1: Morey is still quite willing to bypass the deadline with Simmons still on the roster
Morey has been insistent all along that the Sixers will not trade Simmons out of desperation, and that he’s not at all beholden to the idea that Simmons must be traded before the deadline.
“[The idea that] we should just get the best thing possible in February, I think that leads you to a bad place. It’s precisely because Joel is playing so amazing, that this deal has to be the one that addresses our needs.”
Morey also said towards the end of the interview that he felt it was “less likely than likely” that they would get a deal done before the deadline, noting that trades are simply hard to make in the NBA. These types of sentiments reiterate his previous “this could take four years” proclamation, once again indicating that he wants to remain patient and only deal Simmons for appropriate value.
Now, Morey did slightly contradict himself later on in the interview, mentioning that the team may have some increased urgency to trade Simmons, or that they have at least widened their parameters of what they would consider an acceptable return.
“I do think with how great Joel is, our line has moved down a little bit. Because Joel has lifted us into contention by his sheer will of greatness this year, that does push the number of deals that we would do, are more likely… We absolutely need to get an impact player, but there’s an impact player who has to be in the top 30 in the league, but because Joel is playing amazing… now we may be able to do it with a top 40 player who’s a great fit.”
With that statement and others, it sounds like Morey has softened just a bit on his original stance of “difference maker” or bust.
No. 2: It sure sounds like the Sacramento Kings make sense as a potential partner
At one point in the interview, Morey was asked specifically about Keith Pompey’s report that the Kings may be willing to offer Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and two first round picks for Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. While Morey did not comment specifically on that deal – and also urged people to be skeptical of rumors – he did say that “for sure there are deals with the Sacramento Kings that I think would work.”
Simply saying that there are deals with the Kings that would work is an interesting acknowledgment. I’m not sure many people would make the case that even the Kings’ best assets – De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton – are top-40 players. However, Morey feels that there are potential deals to be made here.
Interestingly enough, Morey later described a potential type of trade that he would consider acceptable, which sounds awfully similar to the one laid out above.
“We could do it where we do a trade, it helps the team, it’s a better fit, and maybe our future opportunities are still open because we get some draft picks as part of it. So, it helps our odds enough this year, and we maybe have a draft pick or a young player who can help us into the future, who might develop – like, if we got a player the caliber of a Maxey coming back, we might be able to say, ‘OK, we’ve got a really solid player who’s maybe not in the top-30… plus a really solid young player who over Joel’s prime, which we’re sitting in, might develop into that.’ So, it opens up more possibilities.”
It sure sounds like Tyrese Haliburton would match the description of that type of player. In addition to being an ascending young talent, he’s also an excellent fit next to Embiid and Maxey. Throw in the fact that this deal opens up future opportunities by shedding salary and adding picks, and it would seem to me that this type of deal makes sense. With how desperate Sacramento is to make a move right now, I could certainly see it happening.
No. 3: No progress on a Simmons return to play
This one came as no surprise, but Morey reiterated that there has been no progress in the organization’s talks with Simmons. He confirmed that they did meet with Simmons and his representatives recently, but that “those conversations have not progressed.”
He says that the team will continue having dialogue with Simmons, and hopefully that they will yield something, but there is nothing new to reveal at this time.
“The one thing we’re all in agreement on is we would like a win-win trade. A trade that helps the 76ers, and is most likely going to help Ben is his mind, of what his goals are. We’d like to accomplish that by the February 10th deadline. And if we don’t, then I think this foundation of dialogue we’ve established, we’ll see if that can help us work through things if there isn’t a trade,” Morey said.
No. 4: Morey feels Simmons’ absence is exactly what the team is missing
Morey at one point said that there is a “Ben Simmons-shaped hole in the roster,” and noted that the team has gone from elite to average on defense, and from good to horrendous in terms of rebounding.
If we are to take all of Morey’s comments at face value – that the team is capable of contending this year, and that Simmons’ general skill set is what’s lacking from the roster – I wonder if that informs at all what he’s interested in taking back in a trade.
In my mind, the criteria for a Simmons return should be pretty wide – as long as they’re getting back adequate talent and/or assets, I don’t care if that nets a guard or a wing, or how good of a rebounder they are. Perhaps with Simmons, or with other trades that may be out there, Morey is thinking more in terms of fit than I am.
All things considered, I’m not terribly surprised by anything Morey said. He seems insistent that the team will keep Simmons if he can’t get what he feels is adequate value, as he has been all along. I do find the acknowledgment of a slight mindset shift encouraging, and I think that it makes a deal with Sacramento more likely. Morey’s general view that the team is capable of contending this year would make a trade more likely to happen in my mind.