The NBA fined 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey $50,000 on Monday for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule.
The league said the fine is in response to a since-deleted social media post that Morey made on December 20 regarding Houston star James Harden. Morey joined the 76ers this fall after 13 years as the Rockets’ general manager,
The post in question appears to be an automated tweet in which Morey re-surfaced a message from Dec. 2019 in which Harden broke Calvin Murphy’s Rockets franchise assist record.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Morey told the league it was an inadvertent post from an automated app.
Harden has reportedly requested a trade from the Rockets and Philadelphia is among the teams that is on the guard’s desired destinations. Among the players linked as a potential centerpiece of a possible deal is star Sixers guard Ben Simmons, though, Morey told The Athletic on Dec. 17 that the team is not trading Simmons. Morey views Simmons as “an important part of our future.”
Harden, 31, has two years remaining on his contract in addition to a player option for the 2022–23 season.
On Oct. 15, Morey announced he was stepping down as the Rockets’ general manager. He signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia prior to this season.
The 76ers are 2-1 through three games of the 2020-21 season.
