Portland Trail Blazers: 3 realistic targets in free agency
By Jerry Trotta
Marcus Morris
The sanity of Trail Blazers fans will be brought into question if they have to watch Lillard and McCollum be forced to score over 25 points each per game for another season. That’s literally the reason why the team struggled with consistency this year. As great as they are in isolation, it’s impossible to handle the ball as much as they do and remain fresh for four quarters.
For the year, both Lillard and McCollum ranked in the top five in the NBA in minutes per game. No other teammates in the league can say the same.
light. Related Story. Remember LaMarcus Aldridge's start to the 2014 playoffs?
That’s where Marcus Morris, a free agent to be, enters the conversation. The LA Clippers acquired the 6’8″ sharpshooter in a deal with the New York Knicks at the trade deadline as they geared up for a playoff run.
Not only would Morris be a reliable tertiary option behind Lillard and McCollum, but his presence would lessen the pressure on Nurkic, who will be eased back into things upon his return from leg surgery. Morris’ catch-and-shoot prowess would fit perfectly in Portland’s high-powered offense. The 30-year-old vet shot 48.6 percent from beyond the arc in 12 games with the Clips and 43.9 percent from distance across 43 starts for the Knicks.
He was averaging a career-high 19.6 points per contest with New York before being dealt and was shaping up to have a deluge of suitors in free agency. That shouldn’t change, and Portland should have enough incentive to beat other squads to the punch to land his signature.