New York Knicks: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
Marcus Morris signing
How the New York Knicks came into acquiring Marcus Morris goes against most business ethics. Morris agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs, who moved other players to fit his contract into their salary.
However, when Reggie Bullock’s deal with the Knicks had to be reworked, money was opened up and offered to Morris.
New York and Morris agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal. There is nothing against getting the most money you can, but it is a bad look backing out of a deal that you had a handshake agreement on, especially when other players are involved.
It has caused some bad blood between the organizations, which goes back a decent amount of time.
While the process of acquiring Morris can be debated, there is no debate about how he will impact the team on the court. This is arguably the best signing the Knicks made all offseason.
It can be argued that Randle is a superior player to Morris, but Morris brings the most to the table for this young Knicks roster. He is a good floor spacer, knocking down 36 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career.
Last season with the Boston Celtics he knocked down 37.5 percent, averaging 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
According to ESPN’s Offensive Real Plus-Minus, Morris was the 17th best power forward offensively last season. That floor spacing will be great to have, as he can play either forward spot. David Fizdale loves his big lineups, and he can use some with Morris at small forward.
However, his defense leaves something to be desired as he was ranked 84th in Defensive Real Plus-Minus
The biggest thing Morris will bring to the Knicks is his experience and leadership. Morris is a well-respected veteran and will help create a culture in the locker room. He is battle-tested with 32 games of playoff experience, where he has turned up his performance.
He’s a career 42.3 percent shooter from deep in the postseason.
Morris could be a nice trade chip at the deadline if the Knicks are out of playoff contention and looking to give younger players more playing time.
The only true knock against this deal is that he will cut into the playing time for Kevin Knox, who will have his work cut out for him to get on the court this season.