Why Not? How Daryl Morey placed the biggest bet in Las Vegas

Everything’s bigger in Texas, but the stakes are higher in Las Vegas.

In spite of the sweltering heat, the allure of Vegas that draws millions of people each and every year is wrapped around risk. The idea that you can take a chance — and end up in unmitigated success or agonizing defeat — is a major crowd pull. Go big or go home.

This philosophy aligns with Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s, and has been intertwined with every summer in the 13 years he’s been at the helm. Houston has seemingly chased every star under the sun; the early years headlined by courtings of Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh proved futile but signaled an intent to strike gold. Two summers ago, LeBron James and Chris Paul were the talks of the town. Most recently Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler were on their radar.

Simply put, it’s what they do. “Run it back” might need to make way for “If he’s good, we’re interested,” as their unofficial slogan at some point. So what happens when these two clash?

A week into Summer League, Houston was prepared to embark on another campaign with the same core from the previous season. Had there been a deal for Butler, there would have been obvious changes, but that didn’t happen. The belief was all issues aside — the tension between Paul and James Harden, and Mike D’Antoni’s contract negotiations — the gang would saddle up and get back on the horse. After all, there was no reason to believe that any team — at least in the Western Conference — was clearly and definitely better equipped to get to the Finals.

But the NBA is unpredictable, and presumed courses of action can change at the drop of a hat. Golden State went from perennial Finals contender to a likely lower half playoff seed, due to the departure of Kevin Durant and an ACL tear that will keep Klay Thompson out for months next season. Brooklyn went from a bright, upstart team to a major player in the East, thanks to the addition of Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The reason the phrase ‘domino effect’ is attached to the league so frequently is the nature of how quickly pieces actually fall one after the other, once the first one drops. The first wave of free agency saw a crescendo of free agent moves, only to come to a halt while the world waited on Kawhi Leonard’s decision. Once Kawhi made Los Angeles his next destination, NBA Twitter hardly had time to catch its breath before Paul George followed suit.

Houston had been monitoring the situation from the get-go, and when George was shipped out of Oklahoma City, it was all systems go. Team sources knew the obvious next move was for the Thunder to find a new home for Russell Westbrook. Over the next five days, the franchise positioned itself and geared up for what could be a real possibility: reuniting Westbrook with Harden.

By the Rockets’ second Summer League game, a late-night matchup with Gary Trent Jr. and the Portland Trail Blazers, four members of the front office were all present in Cox Pavilion: newly promoted executive VP of basketball operations Rafael Stone, longtime assistant GM Monte McNair and CEO Tad Brown all sat courtside with Morey. The Athletic was scheduled to meet with a team executive, only to have that rescheduled because “things were super intense” at the moment.

Reports surfaced of mutual interest between Westbrook and Miami, with Houston considered a distant afterthought for a number of reasons. First, a three-team deal would prove extremely difficult — regardless if Paul would be moved or stay. Second, by now it’s no secret that Houston wants stars, but it had already struck out on Davis and Butler. This would just be another miss. Last and not least, there was little evidence of an X’s and O’s pairing of Harden and Westbrook, given their individual games had changed so much since the last time they were teammates. Both operated at full tilt with the ball in their hands. The Rockets couldn’t care less about outside opinions, though. It happened before Paul and Harden joined forces, this was just the same criticism, different day. “It’s our job to bring in the most talented people, and make it work,” said one team executive.

The only question Houston had was what kind of deal could land Westbrook. Harden, in the midst of an Adidas tour in London and Paris, was kept in the loop of the entire process. Head coach Mike D’Antoni and owner Tilman Fertitta were also involved in the process, with Fertitta ultimately giving the final approval. Every decision that comes out of Houston does so as a result of a collective effort. The contingent brainstormed possible moves upstairs in Toyota Center during the NBA Draft, again in Los Angeles of early free agency plans, and once again in Vegas. There was a unifying thought between all parties — front office, star player and head coach — that this move was the right one to make, and the best time to do so.

In a perfect world, Paul, Harden and Westbrook would be on the same team. The Rockets weren’t sure what kind of time they were operating on, so when the opportunity presented itself, they had to strike. Over those five days, there was constant communication between Houston and Oklahoma City. Their advantage eventually proved enormous over Miami and other possible suitors.

For one, the Thunder wanted to do right by Westbrook. He had served the city and the only team he’s ever known for over a decade, through the ups and downs. The relationship between Harden and Westbrook also proved vital and put Houston as a destination over Miami. Not many people would turn down the opportunity of playing with one of their best friends, especially on a contender. Westbrook’s camp had discussed the real possibility of joining forces with Harden in recent days but didn’t know when an actual deal would fall through.

Team executives figured Westbrook and Harden matched up better than a Paul-Harden pairing would down the line, in terms of similar age and prime window. In a league where talent ultimately wins championships, Houston stresses the need for it, and finds Westbrook “immensely talented.” The Rockets believe he can play to his strengths, and still be successful next to Harden.

Naturally, there will be a ton of questions around his basketball fit. How will a non-shooter, ball-dominant guard pair with a former MVP? That question has already been answered before, albeit different circumstances. Dwayne Wade found a way to make it work with LeBron and Miami, but it took personal sacrifices and an all-in effort. It also didn’t hurt that they were surrounded by every shooter with a pulse.

Houston believes Westbrook has had the luxury of being fully surrounded by shooters. It’s always been length and athleticism that have been prioritized in Oklahoma City, and an outside shot was an added bonus. Jerami Grant and Terrence Ferguson aren’t necessarily considered “shooters,” but even that was better than most of what’s been put around Westbrook from a spacing perspective. The Rockets believe they can optimize that.

Westbrook and Harden will be staggered similar to how Paul and Harden were, per a team source. Houston’s analytics eschew the downside to a subpar shooter like Westbrook for example, citing shooting 30 percent from three on a similar outcome as shooting around 50 percent from two. A 33 percent shooter is still shooting a shot with a 50 percent success rate, which is the math Houston leans on.

When news of the trade broke, there was a collective shock from teammates. “Wow,” one prominent teammate responded via text. Paul’s camp had maintained the “wait and see what happens” stance during the offseason, but it’s hard to believe most people thought Paul would have a new home in 2019-20.

Harden’s camp expressed excitement and anticipation of the two close friends getting the opportunity to team up again. “We’re not done yet,” said one individual in reference to completing the roster. Shortly afterward, Tyson Chandler agreed to a one-year deal to join Houston, and it’s believed the new pairing accelerated that process.

Houston remains extremely interested in acquiring forward Andre Iguodala, per team sources. While the hope remained he would get a buyout, the team is exploring different scenarios to acquire Iguodala. The belief is Memphis wants at least first-round compensation for the former Finals MVP. The Rockets are also interested in younger players with athleticism, like David Nwaba, who recently signed a two-year deal with Brooklyn.

Source: Houston Rockets and Isaiah Hartenstein have agreed to push his guarantee date back. Hartenstein’s $1.4 million contract would have been fully guaranteed by 7/15.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) July 14, 2019

In regard to their own free agents — Danuel House, Gerald Green and Austin Rivers — Houston has spoken to their individual representatives about officially putting pen to paper and there’s a belief that could happen sooner rather than later.

(Photo: David Becker / Getty Images)