Sixers Rumors: Daryl Morey is Still Pursuing Trade for Rockets’ Eric Gordon

Former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is attempting to get some more of the most notable players from his tenure with the Rockets in a Philadelphia
Sixers Rumors: Daryl Morey is Still Pursuing Trade for Rockets’ Eric Gordon
Sixers Rumors: Daryl Morey is Still Pursuing Trade for Rockets’ Eric Gordon /

Former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is attempting to get some more of the most notable players from his tenure with the Rockets in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.

During Morey’s first season running the Sixers’ front office, he attempted to trade for James Harden when the future Hall of Famer grew disgruntled and demanded a trade. While the Sixers were one of the most notable teams pursuing Harden, the Beard was sent to the Brooklyn Nets.

A season later, Morey finally got his guy after striking a blockbuster deal with the Nets ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. Now, Morey is looking to check off two more boxes by adding P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon.

Back in 2020-2021, Morey was rumored to be in the market to trade for Tucker when he was still with the Rockets. However, Houston sent the veteran forward to the Milwaukee Bucks. After signing with the Miami Heat and playing the entire 2021-2022 season in South Beach, Tucker declined his second-year option and will test the market once again.

While returning to the Heat hasn’t been ruled out, Tucker is widely expected to reunite with Harden and Morey in Philadelphia when free agency begins. 

With a second reunion in the works, Morey has reportedly attempted to complete another last week. During the 2022 NBA Draft, the Sixers President worked the phones and tried to strike a three-team deal to land Gordon, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

As we know, Morey was unsuccessful. However, the Sixers haven’t given up hope. Per Pompey, the pursuit of Gordon is still on, and Morey continues to seek a trade with the Rockets to land the veteran. 

But landing the veteran is becoming an increasingly difficult task. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Houston was open to listening to the Sixers’ offer, but Gordon’s internal value in Houston was “deemed greater than what was offered.” 

Based on Iko’s report, Gordon is indeed available, but only for the desired price. So, if the Sixers aren’t willing to get creative enough to satisfy the Rockets, Gordon will remain away from Philly.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.


More Sixers News:

High Hopes for Springer: When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Jaden Springer late in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, they knew the young guard would take some time to develop before he could garner a legitimate role on the Sixers’ roster. After spending time in the G League last season, the Sixers are hoping that Springer could become a role player on the main roster for next season. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE 

Harden Working on a New Deal?: Sixers star James Harden has an option attached to his contract for next season, which he mentioned he planned to pick up on several occasions throughout the 2021-2022 season. While Harden is likely to follow through with that plan, there are talks of a possible short-term extension being executed. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE 


Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA