Not really a stunner, he gambled on Westbrook and five out basketball and lost. And the Rockets suddenly find themselves in the situation the Nets did five years ago. They can't tank next season because unless they win the lottery they end up with Miami's 2021 #1 (low 20s). They have 21-23 to assemble a western conference playoff team as their draft belongs to OKC from 24-26.
I suppose they could send Harden back to OKC to get their picks back. Sadly that might be the best rebuilding path forward for the next GM. Anyway, when you're in the GM business, it's always best to bail before you get shitcanned. Leave the mess for the next guy to clean up (see Dombrowski, Dan).
Agreed, though I do not fault Morey too much. Ownership is such a competitive advantage in the NBA. Given Fertitta's refusal to go into the tax and then the Paul/Harden's inability to coexist, Morey took reasonable gambles to keep the championship window open. That's what a GM should do when they have a player of Harden's caliber. But it didn't work. Perhaps this season would have turned out differently, if Fertitta had not screwed up the situation with Dantoni so badly, who knows.
I would really consider moving Harden this season. Use that haul to start the rebuild. Your ticket sales probably won't suffer because there won't be any. Westbrook can do his one man team act again for one season. Then in 2023 he is a massive expiring contract and Gordon is off your books. In a flat cap environment maybe expirings are valuable commodities again. Plus of one of 2022 or 2023 is likely to be the double draft.
As an aside, I loved the reports that Houston was seriously considering Ty Lue. I never believed (and can't imagine the Clippers believed) that Fertitta, who was cheap before the pandemic decimated his businesses, would meet Lue's asking price. Andy Miller's name should have been in the byline instead of Woj.