Rumors

In 2019, Trump called you a “scared” “little boy.” He was referring to your choice not to comment on the N.B.A.’s reprimand of Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. Obviously, Trump relished what he perceived to be hypocrisy on the part of both the N.B.A. broadly, as a purported supporter of free speech and social justice, and you specifically, as one of the freest speakers in the league. You’d declined to get involved in the conflict, citing a lack of information on the issue. How do you feel about that stance now? Steve Kerr: I gave a really weak answer. I was trying to walk the line. You regret that? Kerr: Yeah. I was wrong. We had a lot of players on our team that were doing business in China. A lot of our players would go there off-season. The N.B.A. had this huge relationship with China. But, of course, thousands of American companies had trade and relations with China. And so the N.B.A. just got caught up in all of this and I didn’t handle it well. I was trying to walk the company line and not make the N.B.A. mad.

The New Yorker

One hour after the Philadelphia 76ers captured their 43rd win in one of their most complete performances of the season, star center Joel Embiid voiced frustration with the organization — and general manager Daryl Morey — for not playing in a game earlier in the week. “I was pissed off,” Embiid said Friday in his first public comments since being held out of Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards with an illness. “I wanted to play basketball. I wasn’t allowed to play basketball. So, this is more of a question for Daryl Morey.”

New York Times

PHLY Sixers: Joel Embiid was asked about why he didn't play against Washington on Wednesday. He did not hold back. "I was pissed off. I wanted to play basketball. I wasn't allowed to play basketball. I think this is more of a question for Daryl Morey." Full answer:

Twitter

A league source told The Athletic that the organization, in consultation with the team physician, decided to hold Embiid out of Wednesday’s game because he had been fighting the illness for three consecutive days and had missed the shootaround.

New York Times

Austin Krell: OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on the Jared McCain trade: "I'm not involved in the trades. So I'm not going to make comments on the acquisitions. I do know I have high respect for Philadelphia, their decision-making process, their group. I know that transactions are to be evaluated in a sequence. They aren't to be evaluated in a vacuum. They are set up by previous transactions, they set up future transactions. It's hard to evaluate those things in a vacuum. You never know what a team is planning and how that fits in. That's why our group, Sam and his guys and Daryl Morey and his guys do their due diligence and work the league around the deadline. That's why all this happens. But I do have great respect for their front office."

x.com

Green took issue with the idea that the growing influence of the three-point shot has altered the game too drastically and should potentially be addressed through rule changes. The veteran forward argued that attempting to modify the structure of the game because of how players have adapted offensively is misguided. “To come out now and try to change the whole game of basketball as we know it and play because guys have gotten good at certain things is ridiculous,” Green said. “It’s ridiculous. So now we want to add a four point shot or who knows what. No, can we stop trying to completely rewrite the game of basketball because Daryl Morey came up with a theory that ultimately wasn’t successful for him?” Green continued his criticism moments later while reiterating his stance on Morey’s perspective regarding the value of perimeter shooting. “I’m sorry but miss me with this garbage. This is garbage if I’ve ever heard garbage before in my life.”

Clutch Points

At a press conference the day after the trade deadline, Morey called McCain "a great future bet and a potential great player," but also said that he thought the team was "selling high" and was better off with the draft picks, which he described as more than a typical return for a starter-level player on a good team. Morey's transparency only amplified the discussion around the deal, which basically boiled down to how to properly value a player who was about to turn 22. "It's really weird sometimes, like, hearing people talk about what you're 'worth,'" McCain said. "And it's because I'm really, you know -- there's a human aspect to it that a lot of people skip over. So hearing stuff that he said in the media, it's like, 'Damn. Is that how you really felt?' 'Cause I feel like I treated everybody with respect and love. So it's definitely tough to hear sometimes, but you gotta understand it's a business and they're doing what they feel is best."

CBSSports.com

Daryl Morey: I was telling the league office they need to fix the three-point problem that was created by all the analysis from the conference and they were arguing against me. And so it was sort of like a full circle moment where I do think the game is unbalanced for sure. Three is too much for that shot and there needs to be something to do to help fix the game and address it. I believe something needs to be done. I think it's more urgent than tanking. As much as people talk about the different ways people get to threes and think that's all true, the reality is 50 percent more is too much for that shot, we somehow need to address that.

YouTube

Charles Barkley: All these guys who run these organization who talk about analytics, they have one thing in common. They a bunch of guys who ain't never played the game and they never got the girls in high school and they just want to get the game. I'm not worried about Daryl Morey. He's one of those idiots who believe in analytics. And listen, I wouldn't know Daryl Morey if he walked in this room right now. Daryl Morey: Yeah. Probably the most known clip about me out there. So, I would say mostly when I heard it, I felt like Charles was right cuz I didn't get the girls in high school. And yeah, it hurt a little bit. I got to be frank. I was like, man, Charles is good at what he does. So, it's true. We all love sports. And yeah, Charles's way in was getting a lot of rebounds and my way in was data. Daryl's reacting to an infamous Charles Barkley rampant from inside the NBA. The Hall of Famer was echoing what a lot of people felt at the time. Barkley: It's just a crap of some people who were really smart made up to try to get in the game cuz they had no talent, because they had no talent to be able to play. Shaquille O’Neal: I agree with you on that. Barkley: So smart guys wanted to fit in. So they made up a term called analytics.

YouTube

Executives have said the 76ers were actively making calls pre-deadline, though nothing seemed remotely close. Some sources suggest Daryl Morey was star hunting with Kawhi Leonard being a name that was connected to Philly. But nothing happened.

Yahoo! Sports

Carmelo Anthony: “Daryl came in the room and told me, ‘Your services is no longer needed.’ I’ve never heard no like that before. I’ma just be honest. That’s like you really getting fired from your job.”

YouTube

7PM in Brooklyn: Melo: "Daryl Morey came in the room & told me my services are no longer needed ... that plane was gone without me." CP: "I got a plane for me, Melo and my wife ... I wasn't gonna let them embarrass my dawg." This moment Melo & Chris Paul had while in Houston shows how brotherhood is bigger than hoops 🫡

x.com

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Cameron Payne. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Payne joins the 76ers after spending part of the 2025-26 season in Belgrade, Serbia, with KK Partizan, where he averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 21.9 minutes in 15 games. Payne scored in double figures in nine of his 15 contests, including tallying season highs in points (24) and three-pointers (eight) against KK Split on Dec. 28, 2025.

NBA.com

“He said that he thought he sold high on you at the deadline. When you hear that, what goes through your mind?” Jared McCain: "Um, yeah. I mean, I didn’t get to talk to him much at all when he called me, but… yeah, I don’t know.”

YouTube