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Report: 76ers to hire Morey as new president on 5-year deal

Bill Baptist / National Basketball Association / Getty

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to sign a five-year deal with former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey as soon as this weekend to lead their basketball operations, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Morey will take on the title of the team's new president, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Philadelphia reportedly expects current GM Elton Brand to remain in his position.

Morey unexpectedly resigned as the Rockets' GM earlier this month. He reportedly began conversing with the 76ers shortly after stepping down from the role.

The 48-year-old is credited with transforming Houston into a perennial contender since taking over the organization's day-to-day duties in May 2007. During his 13 years in charge of the team, the Rockets never finished a season with a losing record and made the playoffs on 10 separate occasions, including two trips to the conference finals in 2015 and 2018.

Morey also masterminded the 2012 trade that brought James Harden to Houston from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the eight-player exchange with the Los Angeles Clippers that landed Chris Paul in 2017. Prior to last season, he traded Paul to the Thunder to acquire fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook.

Doc Rivers, who was named Philadelphia's head coach earlier this month, is a proponent of Morey's hiring, Wojnarowski notes. The two previously worked together on the Boston Celtics; Morey was the franchise's senior vice president of operations during parts of Rivers' stint as head coach from 2004-13.

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