Philadelphia has its guy.
Mike Gansey, the right-hand man to Koby Altman in Cleveland, is set to take over as the 76ers‘ new president of basketball operations, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark.
Gansey has been in the Cavaliers’ front office since 2011 and, in 2022, took over as the general manager and right-hand to Altman (the Cavs’ head of basketball operations). During his time in Cleveland, Ganesy was in charge of the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ D-League affiliate (as the league was then called), and was named the 2017 D-League Executive of the Year.
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Gansey takes over for Daryl Morey in Philadelphia, who was let go by the 76ers after they were swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks (as were the Cavaliers in the next round).
While Gansey was Cleveland’s GM, the team has been willing to make bold moves — they traded for Donovan Mitchell in 2022 and for James Harden this past season.
That’s a good sign because it’s going to take bold moves to help the 76ers pivot to the future.
It became clear this season that the young, energized Tyrese Maxey and VJ backcourt is that future. However, the team is locked into a contract with 32-year-old Joel Embiid, who has not played in six straight games since December of 2023, and is guaranteed $188.3 million over the next three seasons. That makes him virtually untradable without attaching young players and picks. The playoffs also showed that when Embiid is healthy and rested, he can still be a force in the league, the team just can’t rely on him to be that player consistently.
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Then there is Paul George, who is guaranteed $54.1 million next season and has a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28.
Gansey has a big task ahead of him, but he can also see the path he wants to take. It’s going to lead to an interesting next couple of years in Philly.
