76ers tap Cavaliers GM to lead front office

The Daryl Morey era in Philadelphia is over. The Mike Gansey era is ready to begin.

After their season ended in a second-round sweep, Philadelphia 76ers tapped the general manager from a team who got swept in the Eastern Conference Finals to replace Morey. Now the former Cleveland Cavaliers GM inherits a tenuous situation in Philly defined by both frugality and extravagance.

Philadelphia 76ers shaking up front office

Morey lost his job even after the 76ers upset the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, thanks primarily to two huge contracts given to Paul George and Joel Embiid. He also continually made moves to keep the Sixers under the luxury tax, which may have been a mandate from ownership or simply what Morey has always done dating back to his time with the Houston Rockets.

The departed team president also got into contract stalemates with disgruntled players Ben Simmons and James Harden that led to holdouts and eventual trades. Now the 76ers are bringing in Gansey, part of a front office that make a blockbuster deal for Harden at the trade deadline and finally got Donovan Mitchell out of the first round of the playoffs.

Gansey isn't the only change to the Sixers front office. Former Golden State Warriors team president Bob Myers is a consultant for Sixers owner Josh Harris, who also owns the Washington Commanders and the New Jersey Devils. Myers led the search for Morey's replacement, and told reporters after Morey's dismissal that he'd take a more active role with the 76ers.

Jameer Nelson should replace Elton Brand

The 76ers reportedly considered an internal replacement for the team president gig. Assistant GM Jameer Nelson was one of the finalists for the job, and he is likely to get promoted to general manager under Gansey. That means a different former All-Star player is out.

General manager Elton Brand had been pushed into a background role after Morey's hiring in 2020, in part due to handing out massive long-term deals to Al Horford and Tobias Harris in 2019, his version of the George/Embiid deals. Brand wasn't considered for the head job, and it's hard to imagine he'll continue with Nelson elevated.

There's a lot of new people in charge and they'll have to deal with the $231M owed to injury-prone stars the next two seasons. And see if Harris is willing to pay the luxury tax.

But after the disappointments of the Morey years, Sixers fans are ready for any leadership change. Given the patience of Philadelphia fans, Gansey and Co. probably won't start getting booed until at least the preseason.