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It’s all coming to a head, folks. Daryl Morey, the longtime general manager of the Houston Rockets, will step down from his position and temporarily remain with the organization in an advisory role, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down. https://t.co/NTmplVtWcl
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 15, 2020
The Rockets were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals for the fourth-straight year this season. The team has made the playoffs eight-straight times without a Finals berth, with their longest playoff run coming in 2015, when they were eliminated in the West Finals.
Wojnarowski reported that Morey was approached about stepping down by team owner Tilman Fertitta:
“In the aftermath of Houston’s elimination from the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida, Morey approached owner Tilman Fertitta with the idea of leaving the job, and the sides quietly worked through an exit agreement to conclude his 13 seasons running the franchise’s basketball operations, sources said.”
Of the next seven years of draft picks, Houston only outright owns its 2022 and 2023 draft picks, with the rest either guaranteed or likely to be conveyed to other teams unless the Rockets win the lottery.