Marcus Morris has proven to be a legitimate help for a playoff contender, as we saw during the Boston Celtics' playoff runs the past two years. The San Antonio Spurs thought that's what they were adding earlier this week, but instead, the veteran wants to take his talents to the Big Apple. After agreeing to a deal with the Spurs earlier this week, Morris backed out as the Knicks were also offering him a deal. While waiting on Morris to make a decision, the Spurs pulled their offer, leaving him to join the Knicks on a one-year, $15 million contract. The Spurs' offer was for two years and would've paid him $20 million, but San Antonio moved on to add Trey Lyles on a two-year deal.
The Spurs could not have been happy about the way this transpired, as they had traded away Davis Bertans to the Washington Wizards to make room for Morris. Instead, they add the forward Lyles, who spent time with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz last season. He averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 64 games played between the two teams.
The Knicks also made some moves to make this deal work, as they are restructuring the contract of Reggie Bullock, whom they signed earlier this off-season. Odds are it was the one-year contract that sold Morris to leave for New York, as he has his eyes on getting a larger deal in the 2020 off-season. He has eight years of NBA experience, and is coming off a season that saw him average 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Celtics. He is joining a frustrated Knicks team that has not had this summer go as planned, but that fact leaves it open for a better opportunity for Morris to do more on the floor in 2019-2020.
The Spurs could not have been happy about the way this transpired, as they had traded away Davis Bertans to the Washington Wizards to make room for Morris. Instead, they add the forward Lyles, who spent time with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz last season. He averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 64 games played between the two teams.
The Knicks also made some moves to make this deal work, as they are restructuring the contract of Reggie Bullock, whom they signed earlier this off-season. Odds are it was the one-year contract that sold Morris to leave for New York, as he has his eyes on getting a larger deal in the 2020 off-season. He has eight years of NBA experience, and is coming off a season that saw him average 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Celtics. He is joining a frustrated Knicks team that has not had this summer go as planned, but that fact leaves it open for a better opportunity for Morris to do more on the floor in 2019-2020.
