Daryl Morey spent the final stretch before the trade deadline chasing cost-controlled role players, and Donte Divincenzo was one of the names Philadelphia tried to land. The Sixers made attempts to bring in the Timberwolves guard, along with Mavericks forward Naji Marshall, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski and Suns forward Ryan Dunn, but none of those players moved.
Morey’s top target was Thunder shooting guard Aaron Wiggins, but Philadelphia would have needed to include multiple other players to make that deal work, and Oklahoma City kept him. The Sixers also pushed for Jalen Smith, offering multiple second-round picks to the Bulls, only for Chicago to hold on to him. Another player who drew interest was Hawks forward Vit Krejci, who was sent to Portland four days before the deadline in exchange for two second-round picks, but Morey reportedly did not want to commit to a deal with so much time still left before the deadline.
That push came after Morey sent Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in February, taking the Thunder’s first-round pick that had originally belonged to Houston and ended up at No. 22 in this year’s draft. McCain’s roster spot went to Cameron Payne, who was later waived after a hamstring strain in the final week of the season, and two-way player Dalen Terry was promoted in his place before seeing minimal playoff minutes. Morey has said of that move that the team “sold high,” a line that was mocked in Philadelphia.
The deadline search helps explain what Philadelphia was trying to do before Morey was dismissed this week as the team’s president of basketball operations. The list of targets showed a front office looking for players it believed could help right away without sacrificing future control, but the market kept closing on the Sixers. By the time Hoops Rumors published its report on May 13, 2026 at 6:28 pm ET, the players Philadelphia wanted were mostly still where they were, and the team was left with the trade it had already made in February.
