Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from the 2019 NBA offseason
2. Daryl Morey is still not afraid to go big game hunting for superstars
For over the last 12 years and counting, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has refused to let anything stand in the way when it comes to acquiring game-changing talent.
Five years after acquiring James Harden via trade from the Thunder, the 46-year-old analytics guru would play a key role in helping Houston seize Chris Paul in a shocking trade with the LA Clippers two years ago.
Now, the 2018 Executive of the Year has managed to work his magic again, as the man who pulled off one of the greatest trades of the decade flexed his intellectual muscles to pull off yet another.
On a night that happened to mark seven years from when the Rockets dealt Kyle Lowry for a first-round pick that was later used to acquire James Harden, Houston would triumphantly land the services of Westbrook in yet another trade with Oklahoma City on July 11.
In the effort to pair together stars that share familiarity with one another, as the two dynamic guards — who spent 414 miles apart from each other over the last several years — have sought to team up to form a new world order backcourt pairing in H-Town with the help of the analytical sage himself.
"“At one point, [Harden] asked me, ‘Why is it taking so long?'” Morey said to Feigen when taking time to discuss the back channel discussions in the midst of the Rockets pursuit of Westbrook. “I told him, ‘Dude, your trade took me five months.'”"
Although the chatter as to whether or not the Westbrook and Harden pairing can work will never cease until the two stars hit the floor, Morey’s relentless persistence when it comes to chasing stars has proven to play a vital role as to why the Rockets have been in the national forefront for over the last decade.
Over the course of a six-day period in Las Vegas, Morey sought to convene with members of the Rockets front office across a bevy of channels — including OKC general manager Sam Presti — in the quest to garner the services of the 2017 NBA MVP.
In addition to members of Houston’s coaching staff, as the latest major addition to Morey’s war chest could help place the organization in its best position to finally capture a title for the first time in 25 years.
Plus help Morey add to his resume in the process, as the man who is regarded by many as the NBA’s version of Billy Beane still has enough time left to shun his eye test critics for once and for all.