Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is renowned for finding value picks in the NBA Draft, and perhaps there was no greater value than Villanova forward Cam Whitmore.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, the team didn't have its first-round pick, and the team's two second-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft were rescinded by the NBA after an investigation determined that the team violated the league's tampering rules in its pursuit to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

That lack of Sixers' draft assets didn't stop Morey from attempting to get back in the draft, especially as a player (that he wisely refused to name) tumbled down the draft board, according to Sean Barnard of Philly Sports Network.

“There was another prominent player who fell in this year's draft that we were trying to move up for,” Morey said. “I couldn't understand why they were falling because I've seen him play live multiple times here in town.”

We probably don't need to do much sleuthing to figure out who Morey was referencing. Villanova's arena is just 12 miles west of Philadelphia, and Cam Whitmore was the most prominent draft day tumbler, falling to the Houston Rockets with the 20th pick after most prognosticators had him locked in as a lottery selection.

While Sixers fans undoubtedly would have loved to see Whitmore stay right at home, the 6-foot-7 forward should receive a big role right away on a young Rockets team with lots of minutes available.

Whitmore has done well so far to prove all the teams that passed on him wrong, winning the NBA2k24 Summer League MVP award while averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game during his time in Las Vegas.