Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is reportedly stepping down from his position with the team of his own volition.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported a source with knowledge of the situation said the decision was “100 percent” Morey's, though it would be easy to speculate otherwise.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is leaving the Rockets, a person with knowledge of the decision said. Source said "100 percent" Morey's decision. @wojespn reported first.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 15, 2020
Morey was in hot water with team owner Tilman Fertitta last October after speaking out in support of protestors in Hong Kong.
Morey's comments essentially resulted in the Chinese Basketball Association severing ties with the NBA, in addition to streaming platforms in China dropping NBA coverage. Rumors swirled immediately after Fertitta's response—which essentially condemned Morey's statement—suggesting the Rockets were hoping to dump Morey.
Instead, Fertitta and Co. retained the longtime general manager. However, it is also reasonable to see how fans would believe Morey was fired for the team's playoff failures in recent seasons.
The Rockets had a big opportunity to push the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals last year after Kevin Durant was injured, but instead meekly bowed out of the playoffs.
Morey grew even this past season. He swapped Chris Paul and draft pick considerations for Russell Westbrook last summer and traded away center Clint Capela in pursuit of a small-ball look, one seemingly fitting head coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive strategy.
But the experiment failed, as the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Rockets in five games in the conference semifinals. D'Antoni subsequently stepped down as head coach, and now Morey is following suit.
It seemed Fertitta was content giving Morey another chance to turn things around. However, Morey will instead seek out other opportunities outside the NBA arena.
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