At Summer League, there was a lot of discussion about what bad form this was by Marcus Morris and his agent Rich Paul — and people I spoke with from some teams were angry. Players have agreed to contracts only to get a better offer back out before, but when Morris agreed to terms with the Spurs for two-years, $20 million, the Spurs traded Davis Bertans to have the cap space to give Morris his money. It’s a move they could not undo.
Morris did back out to agree a one-year contract with the Knicks, something reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Forward Marcus Morris plans to sign a one-year, $15M deal with the New York Knicks, after reopening his agreement with the San Antonio Spurs, source tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 11, 2019
Forward Marcus Morris tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium on reopening his free agency and signing with the Knicks on a one-year, $15M deal: “I had to make this decision based on the best situation for me and my family. This is no knock on the Spurs. I have respect for them.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 11, 2019
This is a better deal for Morris: He makes more money, he should get a lot of touches (although Julius Randle is clearly the starting four in New York), and he re-enters free agency in a year, when it is a down market and there will be less competition for his services.
The Knicks get a solid veteran who can stretch the floor and shot 37.5 percent from three last season. Morris averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season in Boston. More than buckets, Morris brings grit and toughness that Knicks fans will love. Plus he can solidly defend the four spot. This is a good pickup for the Knicks.
And it leaves the Spurs scrambling (they snapped up Trey Lyles in a separate deal).
