When Daryl Morey was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers back in May, fans weren’t quite sure what to expect in the organization’s search for its next top executive. When the Sixers hired Mike Gansey out of Cleveland a few weeks later, fans’ reaction was largely a half-nod, half-head tilt and an “OK, let’s see how this goes.”
The Cavaliers had made some decent draft picks and moves during Gansey’s tenure, but not a ton of home runs, and who knows what to attribute to somebody who isn’t at the top of the org
chart. As a former D-1 player, he was undoubtedly a “basketball guy,” a dramatic swing from Daryl “Dork Elvis” Morey, like when a baseball team hires a player’s manager right after having a hard-nosed disciplinarian. It all seemed fine, but Gansey was largely a black box and no one really knew what to expect.
Well, we are less than two months into Gansey’s tenure, and the man has already orchestrated the greatest offseason in Philadelphia 76ers history. You never know with late-first-round rookies, obviously, but nabbing Labaron Philon with the 22nd overall pick looks like a good move so far. Then, Gansey nailed the smaller moves in free agency. Getting versatile forward Dean Wade on a four-year, $39 million deal looks tremendous compared to some of the other contracts being thrown around this summer. Likewise, signing Anfernee Simons for two years, $12.3 million is a steal on the margins.
Of course, alongside the singles and doubles, Gansey wasn’t afraid to swing for the fences and hit a home run. He turned Paul George, who at this time last year was considered one of the worst contracts in the league, into Jaylen Brown, without giving up the full war chest of draft capital. Brown certainly has some holes in his game, but he’s a player who won Finals MVP just two years ago, is still in his prime, and can soak up a ton of usage to alleviate the minutes and ball handling burden on the Sixers’ backcourt. His arrival immediately transformed the franchise from “at least they have a fun backcourt” to “we need to include the Sixers on the short list of contenders.”
That transformation set the stage for the final stroke in Mike Gansey’s offseason masterpiece: the signing of LeBron James. The greatest NBA player of his generation is going to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, I’m not going to suggest Gansey is personally responsible for James coming. More than anyone else in the league, LeBron has his own personal agency over how things will unfold in his career. The Klutch connection with Tyrese Maxey played a large part, I’m sure. But you can’t deny Gansey and LeBron being friendly from their Mr. Ohio Basketball days playing some sort of role. And everything else Gansey did with this roster allowed LeBron to view himself as a final missing piece in potentially bringing a championship to Philadelphia. If he was going to set aside personal history with his childhood home in Cleveland or somewhere where he spent a lot of years in Miami, it had to be for basketball reasons. This roster allowed Gansey and Bob Myers and whoever else to make the “basketball reasons” case to LeBron. The Sixers team that get swept by the Knicks in May isn’t snagging King James.
Now, things might not go as well as we might hope. Joel Embiid is still a huge injury risk. LeBron will turn 42 years old in December. Jaylen Brown’s game might not mesh perfectly with Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
But think about where we were a year ago, with the Sixers coming off a 24-58 season. Even two months ago, the Knicks series loss was very dispiriting, and we were having the whole “two timelines” debate. All that has ended. Jaylen Brown is a Sixer. LeBron James is a Sixer!!! In under two months, Mike Gansey has done a 180-degree vibes flip on this franchise. We are about to enter the most highly anticipated Sixers season of at least my lifetime and he is the man to thank.
