PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A few days after the New York Knicks bounced the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth game of the 2024 NBA Playoffs first round, President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey spoke with the media about what went wrong and where the team will go from here.
The Sixers have a lot of work to do to get to a championship level. There will be a lot of change on the roster. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey will be back, but past that there is a lot of roster to be filled.
“We're excited. We obviously have two great studs to build around in Joel and Tyrese,” Morey said. “Tyrese took a big leap forward this year, and we think the sky is the limit for him as he continues to improve. Joel was incredible for us, a warrior for us to the end. So we're excited about who we're building around.”
Sixers have many players set to be free agents. Morey says this is a big offseason for the franchise as they look to complement Embiid and Maxey.
He says Kelly Oubre Jr. really made an impression.
“Kelly was one that, you know, he was just such a breath of fresh air, played so hard, won over the city, which isn't easy, you know. Gave us really, really key minutes in the regular season in the playoffs. So, yeah, he's definitely someone that we have interest in.”
Sixers hold the 16th pick in next month’s NBA Draft. Morey talked about strategy there.
“As you might expect, we have all options on the table. Trade, into the future.
So we keep more picks available for future trades. If we do pick, I'm excited about who's there. We could trade back, pick up a player.”
But Morey says they don’t really focus on the draft for immediate help.
“I would say the biggest need is … someone at the wing, who can play and deliver at a high level in the playoffs. That’s the biggest need.”