76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey appeared on the afternoon broadcast of the Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 today. As you can expect, he was asked a variety of questions in reference to Ben Simmons trade rumors, and Joel Embiid. He gave some insight on his philosophy behind making a trade and how they will go about attacking the trade deadline, here are some takeaways.

Trade Deadline

The NBA is three short weeks away from the trade deadline, and all eyes are on the Sixers given their current situation. Daryl Morey had an interesting perspective on the Sixers’ approach. He was adamant about their standards staying the same, mentioning a handful of times multiple role players doesn’t make up for a star player’s impact, and they will not rush the move at the deadline just to appease the fans.

The Sixers’ front office is solely focused on making the right move to give this team the best chance of winning a title. His biggest point was that they don’t want to slightly increase their chances of winning a title. They want to firmly place themselves in the upper echelon of teams by adding a high level player.

Morey’s focus remains on improving the team any chance he gets. Whether that means moving Simmons at the deadline, or making other moves to fill gaps in the roster. He believes they have a solid foundation and can compete at a high level as currently constructed, and fears that a trade made right now to marginally improve the roster could hurt them in the future. In his outgoing statement, he stated it is “less likely than likely” a deal will get done by February 10th.

Rumors

Missanelli brought up the reported trade offer from the Kings, and Morey laughed it off noting some of the rumors are coming from Ballsack Sports and shouldn’t be taken seriously. He did confirm front offices have called, but mostly teams that are struggling or underperforming and looking to shake things up.

Morey also noted he has considered a deal with Sacramento, and believes there is a potential trade that could work with them but it would probably more than just those two teams. Morey understands the fans’ frustrations, but advises them not to fall for fake rumors.

Ben Simmons and Rich Paul

Inevitably, these two were brought up in conversation to discuss how their recent meeting went. Morey said they have had multiple discussions, but none that have progressed towards an all encompassing solution. The main purpose of these meetings was to create a stronger line of communication, and hopefully speak more frequently.

Morey was surprisingly optimistic when asked about the possibility of Simmons wearing a Sixers’ uniform again. He mentioned during their conversations the main goal was to find a trade that suits both the team and Simmons’ preferences. They will have more discussions around the deadline and hopefully come to a point where there could be a chance he plays if a deal doesn’t surface.

It still seems Morey has a desire to have Simmons’ back. He said he could have done better by creating a better relationship with him, and thinks Simmons is the “perfect player” for this team right now. Morey also noted he could “100% see Ben back in a Sixers’ uniform again”.

He agreed the whole situation is less than ideal, and even said he is shocked Simmons wouldn’t want to play with Joel Embiid. The bottom line seems to be the Sixers are trying to mend whatever fence has come between them, but a divorce between the two sides seems most likely.

Outtakes

It was nice to hear from Morey and gain some perspective on the situation, but it doesn’t seem like much has changed. They don’t appear to be any closer to making a deal, and he essentially confirmed they are going to focus on the offseason to find a suitable trade.

There is still value in Ben Simmons. Teams are interested. and there are plenty opportunities that will arise over the coming weeks to work out a deal. It unfortunately seemed like he has not considered moving on from Tobias Harris. His name was mentioned at times when referring to building around the team, so don’t get caught up in any of those rumors. In reality, this was just a check up, and a powerplay from Morey to make sure he controls the narrative around these trade rumors.

Mandatory credit: Sports Illustrated