Houston Rockets Will Host Philadelphia and Former GM Daryl Morey Once in 2024-25

Daryl Morey, who helped build the Rockets during the team's previous iteration, is set to return to the Toyota Center this season as a member of Philadelphia's front office.
Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey
Dec 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Last Thursday, the NBA finally revealed its schedule for the 2024-25 regular season.

The schedule release came with a number of intriguing storylines, including the league's holiday slate of games, national TV schedule and return matchups featuring coaches and players battling their former teams.

For the Houston, the Rockets will welcome James Harden back to the Toyota Center twice in 2024-25 while former General Manager Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers are set to play one game in H-Town this season.

On Monday, March 17, the 76ers will square off against the Rockets at 7 p.m. for what should be an exciting matchup between two solid teams. In addition to former MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia added superstar forward Paul George over the offseason and should be one of the most formidable squads in the Eastern Conference.

While the on-court matchup will be entertaining, welcoming Morey back to Houston should make for an eventful evening as well. Morey spent 13 years as the Rockets GM, making the playoffs nine times and finishing with a winning record every season.

Additionally, Morey helped bring Harden to Houston from Oklahoma City and had a hand in creating an offense that accentuated the former MVP's skill set. After Harden won the MVP in 2018 and led the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals, Morey was named NBA Executive of the Year.

The team's 2018 Western Conference Finals run was its second under Morey, also making a deep playoff push in 2015 before losing to the Golden State Warriors.

After being hired by Houston in 2007, Morey's time with the Rockets came to an end in 2020 before the 76ers named the longtime executive their President of Basketball operations later that year. Since taking over in the City of Brotherly Love, Morey brought many of his former players to Philadelphia, including Harden, Montrezl Harrell, Danuel House Jr. and Robert Covington.


Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.


Published
Randall Sweet

RANDALL SWEET