The Philadelphia 76ers underwent a major front office shakeup in May with the exit of Daryl Morey and the reported news that Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey would be replacing him.
With Gansey set to oversee the day-to-day operation of the front office and Bob Myers guiding the franchise's broader direction, the Sixers are entering a new era, one they hope will finally return the franchise to championship contention after years of playoff disappointment.
Philadelphia has been a fixture in the NBA playoffs, making the postseason in eight of the last nine years. While that's an accomplishment few teams around the league can claim, the Sixers have struggled to translate those appearances into deeper postseason runs.
Twice during that stretch, the Sixers were eliminated in the first round and went just 12-24 in second-round games without advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Sixers have seen multiple leadership structures in that time, from Bryan Colangelo to Daryl Morey. Despite the changes, the franchise has failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone its ultimate goal of an NBA Championship.
Another change is no guarantee of success, but there is opportunity as the franchise begins to build around young stars Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Under Daryl Morey, there was a singular voice in the front office. That structure has its benefits, but if there’s a weakness in the decision-making process, there’s no voice to counterbalance those decisions. Bob Myers has made it clear that the Sixers’ new front office structure will be more collaborative moving forward. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of building a strong organizational structure rather than relying on a single decision-maker.
"There are teams of people that make a team and organization successful," Myers told media members in May. "So making sure we have the right person to lead them, but also the right people underneath them, which is important."
Myers and Gansey share their differences in experience, but they either share or complement each other’s strengths in a number of areas. Both are highly regarded across the league by other front office executives, agents and players, particularly for their abundance of emotional intelligence and their roles in building and maintaining winning cultures.
Where they differ is the level of moves they oversaw with their respective former franchises. Myers was at the peak of the front office for a Warriors dynasty run, managing a collection of superstars that included Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Conversely, Gansey oversaw the moves on the margins and scouting for Cleveland, playing a crucial role in adding role players Max Struss and Sam Merrill, in the drafting of Jaylon Tyson and the discovery of undrafted free agents like Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr. and Nae'Qwan Tomlin. In Philadelphia, that balance will play a key role.
Myers has voiced confidence in trusting others within the Sixers front office, particularly Elton Brand and the others leading the team through the predraft process. Many around the league view Gansey's background in scouting and player evaluation as a strength of his, if not a primary reason he was brought to Philadelphia, making it likely he will play a leading role in the draft room and in the team's roster-building process. Philadelphia currently holds the No. 22 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and whether they ultimately make the pick at the spot, trade up, trade down, or out, as long as a deal does not involve one of the team’s top names, that decision is expected to be primarily on Gansey. The same goes for potential free agent additions, both undrafted and those the team will look toward to fill out their roster. While Gansey will handle the bulk of the activity supported by the rest of the day-to-day staff, Myers' role will be complementary, helping shape the process even from a distance.
Where Myers will take more of a hands-on approach is almost certainly when it comes to a potential future trade of either Paul George or Joel Embiid. A move of that gravity would reach even the ownership groups for most teams, even those with a more singular front office voice. Myers is also expected to be at least consulted around the trade deadline, as he was this past year with Daryl Morey running the front office.
The obvious concern is whether a collaborative structure can become difficult to manage. NBA teams often operate most efficiently when authority is clearly defined, and the Sixers will have to avoid creating a situation in which too many voices slow the decision-making process.
While this new leadership structure is not overly common, and concerns about the voices in the front office being overcrowded are merited, it's a growing practice in the league. Myers' front office during the Golden State dynasty was a collaborative effort, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets have both leaned into collaborative approaches instead of more traditional formats.
Though the Thunder remain unified under Sam Presti, they rely heavily on a deep executive team with specialized responsibilities. The Nuggets have embraced a similarly collaborative approach through an expanded leadership structure overseeing basketball operations and player personnel. While Philadelphia's structure features slight differences, it's built on the same foundation of collaboration.
With Myers overseeing the big picture and Gansey handling the day-to-day operation, the Sixers appear to have established clear areas of responsibility within a collaborative structure. Supported by executives such as Jameer Nelson and Elton Brand, Philadelphia believes it has assembled a front office whose complementary skill sets give it a legitimate chance to succeed. Now the front office has to prove that the belief was justified.
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