Windhorst: Rockets Were 'Pissed Off' About Daryl Morey's James Harden Tweet

The Houston Rockets reportedly were "pissed off" about Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey's since-deleted tweet celebrating Rockets guard James Harden's one-year anniversary of breaking the franchise's career assists record. 

ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the matter on ESPN Radio's KJZ (5:57 mark):

"Daryl Morey is a smart guy, that was not a smart move. That was instantaneously like, 'What are you doing?' And the Rockets were pissed off about it, and rightly so, and the league slapped him for it because even though it may seem innocuous, there's a lot of tension there.

"I mean, just the concept of having a negotiation over a star player, especially when it lasts over a long period of time, that's difficult. Then you introduce the fact that Daryl Morey has just left that team, it's pretty much a one-in-a-million situation. I can't remember—in almost 20 years of covering the NBA—where there's been this type of negotiation from a guy that just changed ... front offices. It's unheard of. So everybody's a little bit jumpy about it."

Windhorst went on to say that there have been "offers swapped between the teams" but that nothing has been deemed "satisfactory right now."

He also said that he would choose the 76ers as Harden's eventual landing spot if he had to make a wager right now.

The NBA fined Morey $50,000 for the tweet, which appeared to be automated, for violating the league's anti-tampering policy.

Harden, who has led the NBA in scoring each of the past three seasons, has requested a trade out of Houston. He reportedly has six teams in mind, including the 76ers, per Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

Per Iko and Amick, "many rival executives" believe Philadelphia is "the most likely landing spot for Harden eventually" because of previous ties to Morey, who led the Rockets' basketball operations from 2007-20 before parting ways with the organization.

For now, Harden remains a Rocket. He's averaged 39.0 points per game over Houston's first two outings, both of which ended in defeat. The 76ers are 2-1 so far this season.