76ers' Daryl Morey sacrifices promising young guard Jared McCain to dodge luxury tax

Daryl Morey consistently chooses tax savings over players

It's surprise that a seemingly competitive team like the 76ers would trade a useful player at the deadline and get zero players back in return. Especially since they just lost Paul George to a 25-game suspension, putting the Sixers down two players until George can return at the end of March.

George's suspension is unpaid, which cost him $11.7M and reduced the Sixers' payroll enough to enable this money-saving transaction. That's typical for Morey, who made tax-saving moves his specialty during James Harden's prime with the Houston Rockets.

In 2019, one year after the Rockets nearly knocked of the Golden State Warriors, the eventual champions, Morey spent the season — and a first-round pick — taking $21M off the Rockets' tax bill, eventually trading James Ennis for a second-round pick swap to get under the tax line. The Rockets also kept only 13 players on the roster for much of the season — then lost to the Warriors again in the playoffs.

In 2017, the Rockets made moves to get under the cap at the deadline. In 2016, Morey only failed to get under the tax because of a trade fell through when Donatas Motiejunas couldn't pass a physical.

With the 76ers, Morey ducked the luxury tax at the 2024 and 2025 deadlines. This may help for long-term financial planning, but the Sixers essentially sacrificed a promising 21-year-old guard for minor financial savings.

For the record, Sixers owner Josh Harris has an estimated net worth of over $10B. He and the Sixers are still prioritizing saving money over winning.