Sixers mailbag: Grading Daryl Morey, considering Joel Embiid insurance, and more reader questions
How would Daryl Morey assess his performance as Sixers president of basketball operations? Should the Sixers take Khaman Maluach at No. 3? We answers those questions and more.
The NBA draft is less than three weeks away and it’s anyone’s guess what the 76ers will do.
Will they select Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the third pick if Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper are off the board? Will they trade back in the draft? Will they package the pick along with other assets in a trade for an impactful veteran?
We’ll find out what the Sixers decide during the first day of the June 25-26 draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.
Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers to X with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.
Q: Do you think it’s inevitable that the Sixers trade Joel Embiid and/or Paul George for whatever they can within the next 12 calendar months? — @Thamass8
A: Thanks for starting off the mailbag. I don’t think it is inevitable because their contracts are hard to move. There are obviously other variables. That said, I could see the Sixers trying to move at least one of them if the players and the team continue to struggle.
The last time we saw George play, the 35-year-old was no longer able to blow by defenders and had people wondering if he’s cooked. That’s not a good situation for the Sixers, considering there are three years and $162.3 million remaining on his contract.
At first thought, one would surmise that George has an unmovable contract. What team would trade for a player who, by all appearances, is a shell of his former self and owed an average of $54.1 million over the next three seasons? There’s always one team. Maybe two or three.
But that’s a move an executive would only make if he thought George could be the final piece to an NBA championship. It would be similar to the Golden State Warriors acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat to play alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
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The team would also have to feel comfortable with George’s injury history. Most of his ailments have been acute injuries, and if treated properly shouldn’t lead to chronic conditions. So it all depends on a team that’s looking for a championship piece.
As for Embiid, teams will want to see how his left knee responds after undergoing a second surgery in 14 months, which is his third in nine seasons. But if he’s healthy, it wouldn’t make sense to trade Embiid unless the Sixers have trepidation about the length of his deal and want to get out from under the three-year, $192.9 million maximum extension. That deal will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season.
While healthy and motivated, he’s still a player who could help win a championship. Plus, if they do trade them, the Sixers are going to try to get what they deem close to equal value in return. I do not see them trading Embiid or George for “whatever they can get.”
Q: How can Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey sell the fans on these three disastrous contracts? If Morey was assessing his own performance, what grade would he give himself? — @TheBigSuburb
A: Those are great questions. In addition to George’s maximum-salary deal and Embiid’s supermax extension, Tyrese Maxey was awarded a $203.8 million maximum contract last summer. As an All-Star and the league’s most improved player, I’ll disagree with you on Maxey’s contract being disastrous. But I understand your point when applied to the Sixers’ salary cap and the team being hamstrung by having so much money tied into just three players.
The best way for Morey to sell the fans on the deals is to keep preaching that this past season’s struggles were a result of the Big Three only playing in 15 games together. He’s also preaching that Embiid and George are expected to be 100% next season, leading to better on-court performances. Morey has stated that the Sixers will be a better team next season because of improved health and a younger supporting cast.
Now, I think Morey would give himself a higher grade than others would. I think he would say the injuries were out of his control. However, he does admit that the Sixers were too old and too slow this season. Those are areas the Sixers are determined to address through the draft and free agency. So I think Morey would give himself maybe a B- minus or C+ while fans might say he deserves an D- or F for miscues that set the roster back.
Q: So say the Sixers do take Khaman Maluach at No. 3 in the NBA draft. What does that say about Embiid’s future with the Sixers? How do you think he reacts to that move? — @Getatmedawg215
A: If the Sixers draft the 7-foot-2 Duke center third it says the Sixers have some concerns about Embiid’s future. Let’s face it, Embiid has an extensive injury history. Drafting Maluach could be viewed as an insurance policy and hint to a possible future changing of the guard.
Aside from that, I don’t see any reason why the Sixers would select a center with the No. 3 pick when Bailey, Baylor swingman VJ Edgecombe, and Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson are all available.
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If the Sixers are looking to add depth at the center position, they could select Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner with the 35th pick. But to pick Maluach in the top three would be perceived as the Sixers losing some level of faith that Embiid can return to his MVP or All-Star level of play.
How would he react? It would be safe to assume that he would initially be disappointed. But at the same time, it could serve as motivation to take his conditioning more seriously, knowing that the Sixers selected his possible replacement.