76ers juggle interim basketball leadership and a June 23 deadline

76ers search – After Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers part ways, Bob Myers is running basketball operations in the interim while guiding a search for a new President of Basketball Operations. With a soft target of landing the job before the NBA Draft on June 23, a stre

The first detail in Philadelphia feels oddly small—someone has to sign off on what happens next. But the next detail is impossible to ignore: it’s happening fast.

After parting ways with Daryl Morey. the Philadelphia 76ers have tasked Bob Myers—President of Sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment—with running basketball operations in the interim. He’s also leading the search for a new President of Basketball Operations. Myers has set a (soft) target of having someone in place before the NBA Draft on June 23.

As that timeline tightens, a running list of names has emerged, shifting with each report and each new update.

Vince Rozman, a VP of Identification & Intelligence for the OKC Thunder, is first up in the franchise’s orbit. He was first reported by Philly Inquirer on May 16. Rozman spent 16 years with the Sixers. joining the organization under Sam Hinkie in 2013 and working his way up through various roles in basketball operations. He was heavily involved in draft preparation and was credited by both Hinkie and Morey as a key behind-the-scenes contributor. In 2022 he left Philadelphia to join Sam Presti’s staff in Oklahoma City. where he now oversees the Thunder’s draft evaluation and strategy—one of the most respected draft operations in the league. The argument for his presence is straightforward: he knows the Sixers’ inner workings and. at the same time. operates in what’s often treated as the blueprint for modern front office building.

Elton Brand is another name that doesn’t disappear from Sixers conversations. He’s a GM for the Philadelphia 76ers, and he was first reported by Philly Inquirer on May 16. Brand’s connection stretches back to his playing days. then follows him into front office work. leading him to become GM in 2018. He led the coaching search that landed Doc Rivers before stepping back from lead decision-making duties when Morey arrived. He stayed, though—rather than walking away—serving as Morey’s top lieutenant for the entirety of his tenure. Brand was also a candidate for the Hawks’ lead executive role last year before withdrawing from the search. suggesting there is outside interest in his abilities.

One of the loudest swing points in the search came on May 19. Marc Stein reported that Neil Olshey. a Sixers consultant for the past three seasons. “is not pursuing the job and won’t be part of this Myers-led search” for a new President of Basketball Operations in Philly. Stein added that his sources say Olshey could remain with the organization in an advisory role, though.

Olshey’s candidacy history is still part of why his name mattered. He was first reported by Philly Inquirer on May 16. He has one of the more decorated resumes in this search: he served as GM of the Clippers during their Lob City era before taking over as GM of the Trail Blazers. where he drafted Damian Lillard and built one of the more consistent playoff teams of the last decade. He was fired in 2021 following an investigation into a hostile work environment. a detail that remains a legitimate concern for any organization considering him. He has been a Sixers consultant since 2023 and is considered to have a close relationship with Myers. which is likely what keeps his name in the conversation—even after this week’s pullback.

Travis Schlenk is also in the mix. and his resume reads like a direct extension of the front office world Myers operates in. He’s the SVP of Player Personnel for the Washington Wizards, first reported by Philly Inquirer on May 16. Schlenk spent 13 years with the Warriors where he served as assistant GM to Myers and played a significant role in building their dynasty. including being credited with identifying Draymond Green in the second round of the 2012 draft. He parlayed that into the top job with the Hawks. serving as GM and President of Basketball Operations for five seasons and leading Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. He joined the Wizards in 2023 in a player personnel role. For him, the Myers connection is again the bridge that explains why the name surfaced.

Onsi Saleh, the GM of the Atlanta Hawks, saw the most immediate negative turn. Marc Stein reported on May 19 that the Sixers have conceded Saleh will not be available to them. Barring a significant change, it is safe to consider his name off the board. Saleh had been first reported by Marc Stein on May 17-18.

Even if it’s closed, his profile shows what kind of candidate the Sixers’ search is trying to reach. Saleh is widely regarded as one of the brightest young executives in the league. Before becoming the Hawks GM he spent three seasons working directly under Myers with the Warriors. He finished second in Executive of the Year voting in his first season running Atlanta. turning into a benchmark of how quickly he has established himself and turned things around for the Hawks. He was considered a longshot because the Hawks are unlikely to grant permission for an interview. but the fact that Myers wants to explore it speaks to how highly he is regarded.

Tim Connelly, the President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, fits the same draft-and-decision-maker profile teams chase. He was first reported by Marc Stein on May 17-18. Connelly has built two different franchises into contenders. assembling the core of Denver’s 2023 championship team before departing for Minnesota. where he put together back-to-back Western Conference Finals rosters. His contract with the Timberwolves is set to expire soon, putting his name in play across multiple searches this offseason. Dallas tried and failed to land him earlier this summer. and Minnesota is expected to retain him. making him a longshot. Even so, the track record—described through “blockbuster deals”—is the magnet that keeps him on lists.

Mike Gansey. the GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers. entered the search conversation with a steady rise narrative that league executives tend to value. He was first reported by Marc Stein on May 18. Gansey has spent his entire career climbing the ladder within the Cavaliers organization. starting as a seasonal assistant in 2011 and working his way up to GM in 2022. He won G League Executive of the Year in 2017 and has been a key part of building a Cleveland team that is currently in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. His name also surfaced in the Bulls’ search this offseason. underlining the respect he has earned around the league as one of the better young executives in the game.

Nick U’Ren. the GM of the Phoenix Mercury. is tied to Myers in a way that makes his candidacy easy to understand. He was first reported by Marc Stein on May 18. U’Ren spent nearly a decade with the Warriors. working under Myers as a special assistant and advanced scout before departing in 2023 to become GM of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. In his first two seasons he turned an aging roster into a WNBA Finals contender. showing the roster-building instincts that made him a name to watch. The question around him is whether he is ready to make the leap to the top job at the NBA level after such a successful turnaround in the WNBA.

Trent Redden, the GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, adds a different kind of connection. He was first reported by Kevin O’Connor on May 19. Redden spent 12 years with the Cavaliers. rising from a scout to assistant GM and VP of basketball operations. before joining the Clippers as assistant GM in 2017. He was promoted to GM in 2023 following Michael Winger’s departure to Washington. He has quickly earned a reputation as one of the sharper talent evaluators in the league. Unlike several other names on this list. he has no direct Warriors connection to Myers. making him an outlier compared to candidates whose ties explain why they’re resurfacing.

Matt Lloyd, another GM with a long basketball thread behind him, also appears in the churn. He was first reported by Marc Stein on May 19. Lloyd got his start in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls back in 1994. beginning as a game-day employee before rising to director of college scouting under the late Jerry Krause. He later spent a decade with the Orlando Magic before joining Tim Connelly’s staff in Minnesota. where he was promoted to GM in 2024. He was a finalist for the Bulls’ lead executive job this offseason before Chicago hired Bryson Graham. and he has been viewed around the league as a top-of-the-line GM candidate for some time. His connection to Connelly makes him an interesting name given Connelly’s own ties to this search.

Then there’s a name that has more motion around it than a formal candidacy: Jameer Nelson. the assistant GM of the Philadelphia 76ers. He was reported by Marc Stein on May 17-18 as honorable mention. Nelson is not considered a candidate for the top job itself. but Stein noted there has been chatter all season about an expanded role for him regardless of who is hired. Nelson is held in high regard within the organization and has been described as a rising candidate to run his own team someday.

The search is being run under a single deadline clock: the NBA Draft on June 23. with Myers aiming—softly—for an answer before then. In the meantime. the list keeps moving through the same gravitational center: people who understand Philadelphia’s draft preparation. people who have worked around Myers in other organizations. and people who are either available—or not available—depending on permission and timing.

That “on the clock” reality is the constant. Every name on the list carries a different kind of urgency: a draft-focused operator who knows the building. a familiar lieutenant who stayed through Morey’s tenure. a veteran with a sharp résumé and a stain that won’t fade. and younger executives whose access to the job might be blocked by their current franchises.

For the Sixers, the hard part isn’t imagining the right hire. It’s landing one—fast enough that the next steps aren’t made in a fog, or delayed past the moment they’re supposed to matter.

Philadelphia 76ers Bob Myers Daryl Morey President of Basketball Operations NBA Draft June 23 Vince Rozman Elton Brand Neil Olshey Travis Schlenk Onsi Saleh Tim Connelly Mike Gansey Nick U’Ren Trent Redden Matt Lloyd Jameer Nelson