Daryl Morey weighs in on Mike D’Antoni’s Rockets future

There remains little clarity on Mike D’Antoni’s future with the Houston Rockets, but general manager Daryl Morey gave a pretty big hint recently.

D’Antoni’s contract is set to expire whenever Houston’s season ends. He was uninterested in a one-year contract extension last offseason, leaving him as a lame duck coach for a team with championship aspirations. It’s left his future unclear.

According to general manager Daryl Morey, D’Antoni need not worry — the Rockets badly want him back.

“It’s probably No. 1. That’s a fair way to put it,” Morey told USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Medina. “We have all our key players signed. I think Mike coming back is super important.”

D’Antoni is likely to attract interest from elsewhere. The Rockets will have competition. That said, he knows Houston’s players and they like him and know his system.

The 69-year-old has gone 217-101 in the regular season as Houston’s coach. The only shortcoming is failing to get over the hump in the playoffs. If his future is up to Morey, then it’s pretty clear where he’ll be next season.