The 76ers were seen as favorites to trade for James Harden.
Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports:
After that, I was informed that Tilman Fertitta – the owner of the Houston Rockets – he was adamant that they didn’t make a deal with Philly, obviously with Daryl Morey being the GM there now.
Morey and Fertitta had their differences while they were in Houston together. Morey resigned as general manager of the Rockets last fall, ostensibly to spend more time with his family. But – as Fertitta predicted – Morey landed in Philadelphia shortly afterwards (for a large salary). Morey was later fined for tampering with Harden, which usually happens only if someone makes a complaint.
This report raises the question: Did Houston’s general manager Rafael Stone really prefer Victor Oladipo and the Nets that Houston chose for Harden, or did Stone prefer the 76ers’ Ben Simmons-centered package? Fertitta rejected his basketball operations department before.
Sometimes owners say they will not negotiate with a particular team out of frustration or to increase leverage – or both. (Smart general managers may even pretend that their team owner is predisposed to a certain way of inducing better offers.) Pelicanos owner Gayle Benson allegedly claimed that New Orleans would not trade Anthony Davis for the Lakers. Although she denied this, many people believed that the Pelicans would not trade Davis for the Lakers. Of course, Pelicans ended up trading Davis for the Lakers – for a massive comeback.
Even if he They were truly opposed to leaving Harden for Philadelphia, Fertitta did not necessarily cling to that emotional mandate. The 76ers seemed to be genuinely in Harden’s mix at the end.
Of course, sometimes stubbornness prevails.
Therefore, I would not rule out Fertitta by refusing entirely to exchange Harden for Morey and Philadelphia. But I wouldn’t blindly trust that either. It is very likely that this was bluster in the first place or that Fertitta’s stance has changed.