Daryl Morey Wins 2018 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey may not have been able to get his hands on the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but he was still able to add to his trophy case this season.

During the 2018 NBA Awards Show on Monday night, Morey was named the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year:

After finishing with a 55-27 record and a second-round exit in 2016-17, Morey knew changes were necessary in order to make his team a legitimate threat to the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And, boy, was he aggressive.

Morey made arguably the biggest splash of last offseason by acquiring Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers. But that was not the only move the team made. Houston added PJ Tucker, Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green. Not to mention the fact that the face beard of the franchise also got locked up with an extension.

All of those moves resulted in a high-powered perimeter offense that finished No. 2 in scoring. More importantly, the Rockets (65-17) finished with the best record in the NBA and gave the star-studded Warriors all they could handle in the playoffs.

Houston held a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference finals before Paul was lost for the season with a hamstring injury. As a result, the Rockets missed out on a golden opportunity to knock out the reigning champs and perhaps win their third-ever title, their first since 1995.

While the season may not have ended the way he had hoped, Morey did a phenomenal job of piecing together one of the best teams in the NBA.