New Sixers hire puts Daryl Morey, Nick Nurse on the hot seat

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), owners of the Philadelphia 76ers, hired former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers away from ESPN on Friday. The move should put Sixers team president Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse on notice.

Myers won four titles as GM of the Warriors, overseeing a redemption from a league-wide laughingstock to one of the most successful and valuable franchises in sports. After 11 years with the organization, he left in 2023 to become an analyst for ESPN, but worked as an advisor for HBSE when they took over the Washington Commanders. Myers then helped engineer a turnaround that saw a 4-13 team in 2023 win two playoff games and reach the NFC Championship Game in 2025.

HBSE will have Bob Myers oversee multiple sports

Josh Harris and David Blitzer don't just own the Commanders. They bought the 76ers in 2011 and added the NHL's New Jersey Devils to their portfolio in 2013, and also own shares in NASCAR's Joe Gibbs Racing and Premier League soccer club Crystal Palace.

Myers worked with Harris closely as the Commanders assembled their new leadership team in early 2024. That will likely continue, but the 76ers are the team in the HBSE portfolio that seems to be struggling the most. They haven't advanced past the second round of the NBA playoffs since 2001, despite having an MVP center in Joel Embiid and multiple high-priced All-Stars like Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

The 76ers entered last season with championship aspirations but finished 24-58 after an injury-plagued year. This season, George and Embiid are still injured. For a team that's paying three players maximum salaries, another failure to contend could be too much for ownership — especially when they just hired the most successful NBA executive of the last decade.

Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse might be out of excuses

After 13 very successful years with the Houston Rockets, Morey joined the 76ers in 2020. During his tenure in Houston, the Rockets made nine playoff appearances, including two trips to the conference finals (losing to Myers' Warriors both times), and never had a losing record. With the Sixers, things haven't gone nearly as well, from hiring and firing Doc Rivers as head coach, to signing George, to giving the injured Embiid a three-year, $193M extension.

Former Sixers stars James Harden and Ben Simmons have openly feuded with Morey, with Harden calling the team president a "liar" and Simmons refusing to play for Philadelphia in the 2021-22 season. The 76ers have had success in the regular season, but are 3-4 in the playoffs during the Morey era.

Nurse came to the 76ers in 2023 after winning a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He hasn't had a healthy Embiid since the middle of the 2023-24 season, but it's hard to imagine he has much job security after last year's disaster.

Given the success the Commanders had when they replaced their previous executives and coaches, it must be tempting for HBSE to do the same with their struggling basketball team — especially with a well-connected basketball expert like Myers on board.

This year is a pivotal one for many within the Sixers organization — especially for the head coach and team president, whose futures may hinge on how things unfold.