Veteran small forward Marcus Morris became the center of controversy during the 2019 NBA offseason when he decided to sign a one-year, $15 million contract with the New York Knicks despite verbally agreeing to ink a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs. However, it turned out that the Spurs weren’t the only NBA team who were left heartbroken by Morris last summer. According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic , Morris also turned down a three-year, $41 million offer from the Los Angeles Clippers in July.
Picking the Knicks over the Spurs might be somewhat understandable, but Morris’ decision to snub the Clippers in free agency definitely left some NBA fans wondering why. Aside from handing him a longer contract, the Clippers would give Morris a realistic chance of winning his first NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. However, Morris said that he believes that he’s worth more than what the Clippers offered last summer.
“Personally, as a player, I felt as though I was worth more,” Morris said, as quoted by Hoops Rumors . “I felt as though my time in the NBA, with the production I had throughout the years, I felt I was worth more than what they offered.”
In his interview with Vorkunov, Morris gave a deeper explanation regarding why he chose the Knicks over the Spurs and the Clippers in the 2019 NBA free agency.
“I came with the Knicks, I’d seen a great opportunity, I’d seen a great group of guys, and I wanted to bet on myself on an opportunity where I can showcase what I really can do and I thought that New York would be the perfect place for me to come,” Morris said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvbT6lnQQa4&t=5s
With the Knicks expected to suffer another huge disappointment in the 2019-20 NBA season, most people see Morris as one of the NBA players who would be available on the trade market before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. Some rival scouts and executives who spoke to Vorkunov think that the Knicks could get at least a late first-round pick for trading Morris.
However, it seems like the Knicks are planning to keep Morris on their roster for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season. Though he is already 30-years-old, the Knicks reportedly view Morris as part of their long-term future and want to give him a contract extension when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next July.
So far, it remains unknown how much money the Knicks are willing to spend for a guy like Morris. But with his current performance, it is highly likely that the Knicks would be needing to give a lucrative deal to prevent Morris from entertaining offers from other NBA teams in the 2020 NBA free agency.
