Daryl Morey Wanted Time Off, but 76ers Were 'Relentless'

Former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey wanted to take a year off, but he admits the Philadelphia 76ers were relentless in trying to hire him.

Running a front office for 13 seasons can be tiring. Although Daryl Morey was expected to continue running the Houston Rockets' front office beyond the 2020 NBA playoff run, the veteran executive decided it was time to call it quits.

When the news of Morey's decision to step down came about, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the former Rockets General Manager was considering stepping away from the game and searching for work elsewhere.

But the Philadelphia 76ers essentially made an offer that Morey couldn't seem to refuse. On Monday, Morey met with the Philadelphia media virtually for his introductory press conference. That's when he admitted he planned to take a break for a season before ultimately ending up back in a front office with the Sixers.

"That was my plan [to take a year off]," Morey revealed. "My kids are giving me a lot of crap about it. I'm a pretty competitive guy, but that was my plan. My wife was actually urging me to do that. But Elton [Brand], Doc [Rivers] and Josh [Harris] were relentless --just relentless, as soon as I stepped away."

We've heard a similar story recently. Last month, when the Los Angeles Clippers decided to move on from head coach Doc Rivers after seven seasons, the veteran coach considered a break from the game. Within hours of his departure, though, Elton Brand and Josh Harris reached out to Rivers' reps to get him on a plane to Philly.

Within a few days, Rivers was named the next head coach of the Sixers. Fast forward a few weeks later, Brand and Harris pulled the same strings and convinced Daryl Morey to come in and become the team's President of Basketball Operations. Brand and Harris might've garnered a lot of criticism over the past year, but their recent moves to land Rivers and Morey shouldn't go uncredited.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_