Daryl Morey pulled off the trade of the year by acquiring James Harden in a blockbuster deal. But even after the trade, and the dominant victory that came after, Morey isn’t getting caught up in emotions.
Instead, he’s gonna wait and let Harden himself do the talking — right on the basketball court.
In a chat with the media, the legendary GM shared some words on the Harden trade and his reaction after seeing Harden and Embiid in action for the first time.
“I try not to get too high or too low, but that was a good one,” Morey told ESPN after the game. “James is a basketball genius,” Morey said. “And he’s been wanting to play with Joel for a long time. I think he’s always thought Joel was, like, the perfect guy to pair with him.”
After almost a year of the Ben Simmons saga, the Sixers were facing uncertainty about their future.
Now that James Harden is here, and Ben is gone, the team can finally move forward and focus on the mission of winning a title. So far, the new duo looks more than capable of accomplishing that feat.
“That was probably the most wide-open I’ve ever been in my career,” Embiid said. “I had a lot of easy baskets. I used to have to go for everything, but in the fourth quarter, the shot-making ability, shot creation…you should’ve seen my face. I was just like, ‘I’ve never had this,’ nothing close to it. So, hopefully that continues.”
There is much work still to be done for Philly. Integrating a player like Harden takes time and patience from everyone.
Regardless, these are blissful times for the 76ers, and Friday’s game was likely a glimpse of good things to come for the franchise.
It’s hard not to be excited.
