NBA rumors: Morey forced into Harden trade, Clippers almost got Holiday, Hachimura concussion follow-up

NBA Rumors: Daryl Morey forced into Harden-Clippers trade

"This was an ownership trade, not a Daryl Morey trade."

So says Vincent Goodwill, NBA insider for Yahoo Sports, discussing the implications of the deal. After weeks of strong posturing from the Philadelphia 76ers about extracting maximum value out of the Clippers, the deal went down rather suddenly in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Rather than Morey conceding ground, which doesn't happen often, it sounds like ownership was tired of the Hardan hoopla dragging out.

On one hand, the Sixers have the full support of the fanbase here. That entire city was ready to purge itself of Harden eons ago. Tyrese Maxey looks to be making another leap in the early stages of this season and the excitement around Nick Nurse's balanced offense is palpable.

That said, Morey has long been willing to sacrifice emotions and locker room vibes to extract maximum value out of a precarious situation. He let the Ben Simmons holdout linger for half a season. He was prepared to allow Harden to play games for the Sixers this season, by all appearances, but no longer. Harden is gone, and the Sixers have a mountain of tradeable expiring contracts and draft picks to take to market ahead of the February trade deadline.

There are some tricky optics any time ownership overrules management — especially when management carries as high a profile as Morey. He's one of the NBA's highest paid executives and he is known to value freedom in his role. Part of the reason for Morey's ouster in Houston was ownership's insistence on the fateful Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook swap. That's not to say Morey will up and leave, but he has been the puppeteer behind every major Sixers move since his arrival. For ownership to step in for such a major move — one involving his former BFF, no less — it sends a rather unambiguous message. It's time for Morey to think about more than numbers.

The Sixers probably could have gotten more for Harden with a patient approach, but a few weeks of unhappy Harden could have tanked the entire season. Nurse is working hard to establish a system and a culture. With Maxey on the rise and everybody else bought in, it's hard to argue with the rationale behind cutting ties with Harden quickly. Especially when the return is fair, all factors considered.