Daryl Morey’s trade deadline deals range from blockbusters to salary dumps in six years with Sixers

LOS ANGELES — Nick Nurse briefly chatted with Daryl Morey on Tuesday about the looming trade deadline.

At that point, the 76ers coach and the president of basketball operations had not had a conversation in a couple of days. Nurse said he had not yet had “any discussions” with players about potential moves or speculation.

“I mostly let him do his thing,” Nurse said of Morey and the front office. “They’re obviously working long hours.”

Another phone call was certainly worthy by Wednesday afternoon, when the Sixers got into the deadline mix by trading second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 first-round draft pick and additional draft compensation.

On Thursday, the Sixers sent veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon and a second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies, opening a roster spot to convert Dominick Barlow’s two-way contract into a standard deal and creating additional salary cap space under the first apron.

» READ MORE: Trading Jared McCain is a big risk, unless something bigger is in play

Morey thus fulfilled the expectation that he will always do something this time of year. This was Morey’s sixth trade deadline with the Sixers, where his moves have ranged from pulling off a blockbuster to executing a straight salary dump.

Here is a look back at previous deadline moves for the Sixers since Morey joined the organization in 2020.

Deal 1: Acquired Quentin Grimes and a second-round draft pick that became Johni Broome from the Dallas Mavericks for Caleb Martin.

Deal 2: Acquired Jared Butler and draft capital from the Washington Wizards for Reggie Jackson.

Deal 3: Traded KJ Martin to the Detroit Pistons for cash considerations.

Even amid a miserable season, Morey found a way to upgrade the roster. The Sixers nabbed Grimes from the Mavericks for an injured Caleb Martin, a slick deal that still flies under the radar because of Dallas’ disastrous trade of superstar Luke Doncic a couple of days earlier. Grimes was a breakout player during the Sixers’ tank job down the stretch of last season and is now their sixth man who can impact both ends of the floor. Martin entered Thursday averaging 3.7 points in 57 games across parts of two seasons with Dallas.

Butler got a tryout as a young reserve guard but became expendable when the Sixers drafted VJ Edgecombe third overall last summer. KJ Martin now plays in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Deal 1: Acquired Buddy Hield in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, which sent out Furkan Korkmaz, Marcus Morris Sr., and draft compensation.

Deal 2: Traded Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a second-round draft pick that became Adem Bona.

Deal 3: Traded Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks for Cameron Payne and a second-round draft pick.

Deal 4: Traded Danuel House Jr. to the Detroit Pistons for a second-round draft pick.

Morey said then that he believed Hield was the best player moved on the actual deadline day. The sharpshooting Hield theoretically should have been a smooth fit as a floor spacer, but he did not get much chance to play off an injured Joel Embiid. Hield eventually slipped out of the starting lineup and the playoff rotation, other than his Game 6 breakout against the New York Knicks.

» READ MORE: Quentin Grimes is glad nothing will ‘happen unexpectedly’ for him this time at the NBA trade deadline

Payne was a clear upgrade over Beverley and part of the playoff rotation before joining the Knicks in free agency.

Deal 1: Acquired Jalen McDaniels and a second-round draft pick in a four-team trade with the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and New York Knicks that sent out Matisse Thybulle.

Though Thybulle had not proved himself to be offensively reliable enough to play in the postseason, McDaniels also fell out of the rotation in the Sixers’ second-round series against Boston that season.

Deal 1: Acquired James Harden and Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks.

Simmons’ long holdout saga finally ended with a blockbuster deal headlined by disgruntled All-Stars that was finalized just before the deadline.

Harden led the NBA in assists during Embiid’s MVP season, and helped the Sixers get to Game 7 of the second round against the Celtics in 2023. But he was in Philly for less than two seasons, forcing his way out early in the 2023-24 season after the Sixers would not offer him a long-term extension. The losses of Drummond and Curry were also sneaky important during the Sixers’ second-round playoff exit in 2022.

» READ MORE: Many Sixers fans came to love Jared McCain and his social media flair. And now their hearts are broken.

Simmons has never been the same player, primarily due to health issues. He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25 and has not been on an NBA roster this season.

Deal 1: Acquired George Hill and Ignas Brazdeikis in a three-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks, while sending out Tony Bradley and Terrance Ferguson.

The Sixers brought in Hill to attempt to shore up their backup point guard position down the stretch. Waiting in the wings that season: a rookie named Tyrese Maxey.