NBA: 76ers stripped of two draft picks for free agency violations

FILE– Joel Embiid #21, Tyrese Maxey #0, Tobias Harris #12, James Harden #1 and P.J. Tucker #17 of the Philadelphia 76ers react during a break in play against the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on October 26, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Mark Blinch/Getty Images/AFP

The NBA stripped the Philadelphia 76ers of second-round draft selections in 2023 and 2024 on Monday for breaking the rules on free agent negotiations.

The league said in a statement that an investigation found the Sixers “engaged in free agency discussions involving two players, ((P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, Jr.) prior to the date when such discussions were permitted.”

Tucker and House, who signed with Philadelphia as free agents, both played with 76ers guard James Harden when he was an NBA Most Valuable Player with the Houston Rockets.

They also had established relationships with 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey from his time as Houston’s general manager.

This is not the first time a Morey club has fallen afoul of NBA rules against “tampering.”

The NBA fined Morey and the 76ers $75,000 each in 2021 after Morey tweeted about Stephen Curry before the Warriors star signed a $215 million extension to remain with Golden State.

In 2020, the NBA fined Morey $50,000 for a tweet about Harden when he was still a member of the Rockets.