NBA Rumors: Rockets' Pettiness Kept James Harden Away From Sixers

When the Houston Rockets lost in the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs, many immediately questioned whether Daryl Morey would follow former Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni out the door or remain in Houston. The latter happened for a few weeks as Houston reassured Morey he's the man for the general manager job. But once Houston was ready to wrap up its head coaching search, Morey was out.

It was a sudden move to the public. With little-to-no speculation surrounding Morey's potential departure from Houston, the former Rockets General Manager shocked the basketball world when he announced he was stepping down. At first, Morey made it seem as if running another franchise's front office was off the table. There was speculation he'd take a season off to regroup and figure out his next move.

But the Philadelphia 76ers aggressively pursued Morey just as they did with head coach Doc Rivers after he was let go by the Los Angeles Clippers. After a fast-tracked process, the Sixers landed themselves a veteran President of Basketball Operations to link up with the general manager, Elton Brand.

Philly was thrilled Morey came to town. Of course, Morey's former coworkers in Houston were not amused. Typically, when a coach, GM, or President of Basketball Ops lands in another organization, their former franchise becomes somewhat of a close connection, making it easier to work out deals with them.

In Morey's case, though, the opposite happened. As the Rockets' disgruntled star James Harden continued forcing his way out of Houston, Morey and the Sixers kept a close eye on the situation. For the last couple of months, the Sixers were involved with negotiating deals to acquire Harden -- and they were fully willing to include one of their franchise stars, Ben Simmons, along with more to get him.

In the end, the Sixers didn't land Harden as the Rockets traded him to the Brooklyn Nets. While it seemed the 76ers were close to winning the James Harden sweepstakes, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Rockets had no intentions of trading Harden to the Sixers, allowing him to reunite with Morey.

"I was told that Tilman Fertitta – the Houston Rockets owner – he was just adamant that they not make a deal with Philly, obviously with Daryl Morey being the GM over there now."

Although they would've received an excellent return of Simmons, picks, and another young and valuable player, the Rockets didn't necessarily lose their actual trade because of their unwillingness to send Harden to Philly ultimately. In the end, they got themselves a boatload of picks and a proven All-Star in Victor Oladipo.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_