Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey continues to find trouble as he navigates James Harden trade rumors.

Morey has been fined $50,000 for violating anti-tampering rules stemming from a since-deleted tweet:

Morey had previously tweeted out a Twitter memory regarding Harden breaking the Houston Rockets' franchise assist record. Given speculation linking The Beard to the Sixers, the tweet was seen by the league as tampering.

For his part, Morey has indicated the Sixers will not attempt to trade for Harden, at least not right now.

The former Rockets general manager had stated Ben Simmons would not be available after reports surfaced suggesting Philly was indeed making the former No. 1 pick available in talks for Harden. However, there are also those who question Daryl Morey's credibility.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN said the depth of reporting regarding Simmons' availability could just as easily mean Morey is saving face by publicly stating the Sixers will retain Simmons.

Simultaneously, the entire Sixers organization — and especially head coach Doc Rivers — has rallied around Simmons being a major part of the franchise going forward. It seems unlikely Morey would then go over Rivers' head by trading Simmons away, even if it meant landing Harden.

That said, it feels like the Sixers have the best package to offer the Rockets, and Morey's familiarity with Houston's brain trust could play a role in any future talks.

In any case, the NBA is seemingly trying to send a message with this fine. While Daryl Morey's tweet was rather innocuous, the league felt it had to step in.