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On Thursday, we found out that the Philadelphia 76ers had parted ways with their Vice President of Strategy Sergi Oliva, who had been with the team since 2014 and was involved in their decision-making. Now, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey has reported that the Sixers are expected to make two hires for their front office: Indiana Pacers Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Peter Dinwiddie, and Orlando Magic Director of Scouting Prosper Karangwa.
The expectation is that #IndianaPacers senior vice president of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie and #OrlandoMagic director of scouting Prosper Karangwa will join the #Sixers front office to work with general manager Elton Brand, according to multiple league sources.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 16, 2020
Karangwa joined the Magic as a scout in 2012-13 and worked his way up. He was promoted to Director of College Scouting in 2018-19, then Director of Scouting in 2019-20.
Dinwiddie is the most exciting hire of the two for the Sixers. He first joined the Pacers in their sales department 2006, then received a promotion to Director of Basketball Administration in 2008. In 2013-14, he made the jump to become the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations, before being promoted yet again in 2017 to Senior VP of Basketball Operations. His rise up the Pacers’ front office ranks is impressive. He’s built up a plethora of experience in different areas, from decision-making with transactions, to his excellent knowledge of the CBA — he’s even spent time working as a scout.
Dinwiddie was a finalist to become the Memphis Grizzlies’ GM in 2014 and interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks’ GM job in 2017, which helps show the kind of respect he has around the NBA.
Some fans will surely be disappointed that these new front office additions don’t include Daryl Morey (who just stepped down as GM of the Houston Rockets), which is definitely understandable. He’d have been a great hire to lead the Sixers’ basketball operations. But there’s no knowing if he would even be interested in coming to Philly. Plus, he may not take any job in the NBA right now, as he’s reportedly interested in taking a break from the league.
Nevertheless, the Sixers bringing in new executives to help Elton Brand is a good step forward. We should find out soon enough what titles Dinwiddie and Karangwa will take on with the Sixers, and exactly what kind of role (and power) they’ll have in the team’s basketball decisions.