FILE PHOTO: Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward guard Alec Burks (20) and guard Furkan Korkmaz (30) react during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in game four of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series at The Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Daryl Morey, whose tweets supporting Hong Kong protesters sparked a rift between China and the NBA, is nearing a deal to join the Philadelphia 76ers, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
The former Houston Rockets general manager announced earlier this month he was stepping down as of November 1 but The Athletic and ESPN indicated he was set to quickly land with the 76ers.
Morey is set to sign a five-year deal to oversee basketball operations with the 76ers as quickly as this weekend, the Athletic said, while ESPN reported Morey was in advanced talks.
When Morey tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters last October, Chinese television responded by dropping NBA games for a year, resuming only during this month’s NBA Finals, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver estimating hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for the league in a season also rocked by the coronavirus pandemic.
With Morey overseeing roster moves, the Rockets have managed eight consecutive playoff appearances, the longest active streak in the league.
Sixers general manager Elton Brand would remain in his role after the arrival of Morey, whose team will be coached by Doc Rivers, who was hired earlier this month only days after departing the Los Angeles Clippers.
Morey would join Brand and Rivers in trying to assemble talent around the 76ers’ core stars, Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid and Australian guard Ben Simmons.