Knicks sign Marcus Morris Sr. to final roster spot

The fourteen-year veteran will look to make the Opening Night Roster for his second stint as a Knick.

The quest to fill the training camp roster continued today, as the Knicks announced the signing of forward Marcus Morris Sr. to an Exhibit 9 Contract, the same as the one Landry Shamet signed yesterday. Morris previously played for the Knicks during the 2019-20 season.

Morris was born and raised in Philadelphia and was a four-star recruit out of APEX Academy in Pennsauken, NJ. The #29 prospect in the country (via Rivals) committed to Kansas alongside his twin brother, Markieff, in November 2007. Marcus was a three-year starter at Kansas, slowly burgeoning into a star in college basketball. By his junior year in 2010-11, he averaged 17 and 8 on 57% shooting, being named a consensus first-team All-American. After Kansas was eliminated in the Elite Eight despite 20 and 16 from Marcus, he and his twin brother went back-to-back at the back of the lottery in 2011. Markieff went to Phoenix at 13 and Marcus went to Houston at 14.

Morris spent much of his time in Houston in the G-League, where he averaged 21 PPG in eleven games as a rookie. In limited bench minutes, he didn’t do much. After averaging 8.6 PPG in 54 games as a sophomore, he was dealt to the Suns for a second round pick, joining forces with his brother. Over the next two full seasons, Morris would average 14 and 4 on 36.8% from deep before he was traded with Reggie Bullock (they were teammates with three different teams!) to Detroit for a distant future second.

Morris would begin to settle into a role as a 13 PPG pure scorer who could pull up from close and long range. After two years in Detroit, he was swapped for Avery Bradley to the Boston Celtics. After two more good years in Boston, including a 14 PPG playoff run in 2019 where he shot a blistering 52% from the field and 45% from 3, he signed a multi-year pact with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2019-20 season.

Or did he? That deal was only verbally agreed to. While the Spurs were sorting out cap issues, Morris turned around and signed a one-year, $15 million pact with the New York Knicks just three days later. That move would prove to be extremely consequential for the Knicks’ franchise. Morris, who had long had the reputation as a hard-nosed vet who wasn’t afraid of anybody, got into a schism with Justin Anderson of the Wizards in the PRESEASON, bopping him on the head with the basketball.

Morris was a Day 1 starter alongside Mitchell Robinson, Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle. He would proceed to light up his (almost) former team with a 26-point battering of the Spurs on Opening Night. On November 1, he would light up his actual former team by hitting five threes and scoring 29 against the Celtics in Beantown.

Morris’ signature Knicks moment came 13 days later. In a day where he missed ten of his twelve shots inside the arc, Morris had the ball in his hands with 20 seconds left on November 14 against the Mavericks in a nationally televised game. The hopped up crowd had been booing ex-franchise savior Kristaps Porzingis all night. In a tie game, Mook squared up on Maxi Kleber, stepped back, and fired a go-ahead three with less than 15 seconds to go to explode the MSG crowd.

I went to this game. I booed Porzingis with the crowd. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Marcus Morris for this game. Morris was putting up career-high numbers as a Knick, culminating in a 38-point explosion against a Clippers team he will be well-acquainted with soon.

As a Knick, Morris played 43 games and started all of them. He averaged 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds on a ridiculous 43.9% from 3 on 6.1 attempts per game. Here lies his greatest contribution as a Knick. Scott Perry pulled the trigger on trading him on February 6th to the Clippers in a three-team deal. The Knicks got Mo Harkless (remember him?), the Clippers’ first-round pick, a pick swap, and a future second-round pick from Detroit.

Well, dear reader, that first-round pick gave the Knicks the 27th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Knicks traded that pick along with #38, which they acquired for Willy Hernangomez back in the day, to get the 23rd pick. The genius of Leon Rose then shined through, as he hopped back to 25th and got an extra second-rounder. That 25th pick became Immanuel Quickley, who gave the Knicks 3.5 good seasons before being a key piece in the OG Anunoby trade that vaulted the Knicks into contention. The 2nd-round pick they acquired, another Detroit pick, was sent back to Detroit in 2021 in the Knicks’ scramble to clear cap space for Jalen Brunson. Oh yeah, and the other pick we got for Mook? Leon Rose traded that (#32 overall in 2021) for the picks that became Rokas Jokubaitis and Miles McBride.

Yes, that’s right. Marcus Morris directly got the Knicks both Deuce McBride and Immanuel Quickley, which means he had a hand in them getting OG. But, he also had a tiny piece in getting Jalen Brunson. Is it too late to retire #13 for him?

Morris would return to his key complimentary scorer role as a starter for the Clippers, maintaining a very good 3-point shooting percentage. When his extension with the Clippers ended after the 2022-23 season, he found himself on the fringes. He played a combined 49 games last season with the 76ers and Cavaliers. He shot 40.3% from 3 on 2.4 attempts a night and, in a fun twist of fate, winded up starting Game 6 against Orlando for Cleveland. Last we saw of Mook Morris, he dropped 25 in a losing effort to the Celtics in Game 5 of the Second Round.

An Exhibit 9 contract means that Morris is not on a guaranteed deal. He and Landry Shamet are on non-guaranteed deals that are protected against injury. That is different from Chuma Okeke’s Exhibit 10, which is not protected against injury. The Knicks still have an open roster spot, but appear to have these three competing for it.

Morris could provide needed depth in case of injury. Is this a sign they aren’t fans of Keita Bates-Diop, who came over with Bridges? Morris is also a veteran presence who has played a lot in the playoffs on a team of guys in their late 20s. That meant a lot more to the 2019-20 Knicks, but maybe they bring him in to mentor Pacôme Dadiet. You also have to remember that both Julius Randle and OG Anunoby have concerns about their health.

Either way, I’m thrilled. Welcome back, Mook!