The Philadelphia 76ers are in pursuit of top talents, but they suffered another heartbreak after failing to lure a high-value target again.
The 76ers lost in the bidding war for LeBron James in free agency after the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Philadelphia tried their luck again, as they attempted to convince a top executive to move to Philly, but the 76ers failed to make it happen.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey Stays In Houston
According to Marc Stein of New York Times, the 76ers tried to hire Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to handle their improving franchise. However, the reigning NBA Executive of the Year reportedly turned down the offer, opting to stay in Houston at least for next season.
Morey's value is on an all-time high after being voted as the top executive in the league. He engineered the Rockets squad that ended up with the best regular-season record last season at 65-17. The Rockets GM was credited for acquiring Chris Paul in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Paul's arrival made Houston a bigger threat to the Golden State Warriors. In fact, the Rockets went a win away from dethroning the Warriors last season. However, Houston blew a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals after Paul failed to play in Games 6 and 7 due to a hamstring injury.
After a strong season, Houston is becoming an ideal landing spot for players looking to compete for a title. According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, the Rockets are the frontrunners in the race to acquire Carmelo Anthony, who is not expected to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
76ers 'Regret' Letting Sam Hinkie Go
The 76ers are currently without a general manager as Bryan Colangelo was forced to give up his post after his wife was found guilty of using burner accounts on Twitter. Colangelo replaced Sam Hinkie in 2016, a move that surprised most fans and analyst because he was responsible for bringing top prospects to Philadelphia.
According to Yahoo Sports, the 76ers are now "demonstrating some regret" for their failure to keep Hinkie as proven by their interest in Morey. Hinkie worked under Morey before, and both of them relied on an analytics-based strategy of building a team, which was highly criticized before but is now gaining a lot of attention.
Morey and Hinkie developed a strong relationship during their time together in Houston. Hinkie then handled the 76ers for three seasons, using the same approach Morey utilized. In turn, he managed to stockpile high picks, which eventually helped them acquire Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz.
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