Marcus Morris free agency news

[SparzWizard]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper, and could not do it in Game 7 of the 2018 East Finals.

[ozgod]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper, and could not do it in Game 7 of the 2018 East Finals.

I thought he was brought in because we needed to create space for Gordon Hayward's max contract?

I must admit when he came in I thought he would just be a bench player playing a minor role. I thought Jaylen was our LeBum stopper.

[SparzWizard]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper, and could not do it in Game 7 of the 2018 East Finals.

I thought he was brought in because we needed to create space for Gordon Hayward's max contract?

I must admit when he came in I thought he would just be a bench player playing a minor role. I thought Jaylen was our LeBum stopper.

He was the Avery Bradley replacement

[bdm860]

Marcus Morris figures to receive plenty of interest on the free agent market this summer, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the Knicks, Lakers, Kings, Clippers, and Bulls are all expected to be “in pursuit” of Morris.

All five of those teams project to have significant cap room this offseason, though Morris is unlikely to be the No. 1 priority for most of them. The Knicks, Lakers, and Clippers will be chasing the top free agents on the market, while the Kings have been frequently linked to Nikola Vucevic. Signing a point guard will be a priority for Chicago.

Without looking at those team's cap situation, I feel like Lakers, Clippers, and Knicks are hoping to sign Morris to a mid-level deal.  Those teams will be throwing everything at the big stars hoping to land 2 (or 1 if you already have LeBron), and they all will really have to clear out their rosters to make it happen.  And if they're successful, they'll have like 6 guys left on the roster, so I'm sure the plan is to fill the rest of the roster up with ring chasing vets.

Morris seems to fit the profile of a guy you hope to snag with the mid-level.  Will be 30 years old, still productive.  Willing to come off the bench.  Shows he can function well (enough) as a role player on a winning team behind big egos.

And if those teams don't land the big free agents, then they'll be looking to maintain cap room for next year to make a run at Anthony Davis (or maybe Draymond).  So then it turns into offering Morris a big 1 year deal, like Reddick or Caldwell-Pope have been signing.

I struggle to see a rebuilding Bulls team being appealing to a guy like Morris.  Also struggle to see a rebuilding Bulls team wanting to throw a lot of money/years at a vet like Morris to entice him to come.

Kings might be a threat, apparently a good team on the rise, looking for solid a vet to help them get over the hump.  And I don't think have any big name expensive targets after Vucevic.

All that to say, I only see the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers either offering mid-level or 1 year deals.  Kings are a wild card.  But if those are the teams pursuing Morris, he might not be that expensive to keep.

But since those teams are currently under the cap, they won't even be able to offer the full or even taxpayers MLE, they will only have the room MLE, which only starts at $4.76M/yr. Teams that are already over the cap (but not the tax) will have the biggest advantage being able to offer $9.25M in year one.

I am not sure of Shams line of thinking here, but it appears Morris might be in line for something bigger if those teams miss out on at least one of their big catches. I imagine Shams is well aware of the salary implications. The Cs would otherwise be in the driver's seat by simply offering something like a $40M/4 year contract (essentially a standard 4 year MLE contract).

This came up in another thread a couple of weeks ago and I argued that it was unfair for teams under the cap to not get the same MLE as teams over it. People told me that it wasn't a big deal since those teams would have enough cap space anyway (and I argued, not if they spent it), but I think the Morris salary info shows why a team under the cap likely won't get Morris (or somebody like him) unless they spend big money on him.

Shams only said they had interest, not how much they're going to offer, so it's up to us to figure that out  .  Still think those teams will have the look to sign Morris with their $4.75m room exception after they sign their big targets.  Or sign him to a large 1 year placeholder deal.

Do you think Morris is that much more valuable to a team than Ilyasova, who was 31 this season, while Morris will be 30 next season.  Ilysova only got $7m per year for 3 years.

On the flip side, a young guy (Justise Winslow) with tons of upside who fills a similar role to Morris just got $13m per year for 3 years, but he was only 21.  So that's what a young guy with upside gets.  I don't think a vet turning 30 that fills a similar role gets anywhere near that.

Or you can get the large 1 year deals like Ariza ($15m) or Tyreke Evans ($12m) got.  But those are only for 1 year.

So if LAL, LAC, and NYK are the teams targeting Morris, I think it's with their room exception or a bigger 1 year deal. think the pitch is either come play with Durant and Irving in NY or Kawhi and Butler in LAC or LeBron and Durant in LAL and be a key part of a championship team.  Market is $7m-ish, so $4.75m isn't that big of a discount, but you'll get a ring and get to be in one of the greatest NBA cities.

If these are in fact the teams courting Morris, I definitely think Boston is in the drivers seat (though who knows what SAC or CHI offers will look like).  You said $40m/4yr, I'm thinking the C's might be able to keep him for a 2 or 3 year deal <=$10m per if LAL, LAC, and NYK are the main competition.

[Boris Badenov]

He's 30, he was absolutely mediocre for several years and is now at the age when most players peak, I see a high probability he never plays as well again as this year--which was slightly above replacement level.

No thanks. Let some other team gamble that he'll still be useful at age 33, making $10 million a year or whatever he will fetch from the highest bidder.

[bogg]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper

No he wasn't. He was brought in because he was a rotation guy with a cheap two-year deal and the difference between his salary at the time and the final year of Avery's contract was the amount needed to finalize Hayward's free agency signing. Coming from someone who appreciated Morris for who he is, he was never some marquee acquisition.

[jambr380]

Marcus Morris figures to receive plenty of interest on the free agent market this summer, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the Knicks, Lakers, Kings, Clippers, and Bulls are all expected to be “in pursuit” of Morris.

All five of those teams project to have significant cap room this offseason, though Morris is unlikely to be the No. 1 priority for most of them. The Knicks, Lakers, and Clippers will be chasing the top free agents on the market, while the Kings have been frequently linked to Nikola Vucevic. Signing a point guard will be a priority for Chicago.

Without looking at those team's cap situation, I feel like Lakers, Clippers, and Knicks are hoping to sign Morris to a mid-level deal.  Those teams will be throwing everything at the big stars hoping to land 2 (or 1 if you already have LeBron), and they all will really have to clear out their rosters to make it happen.  And if they're successful, they'll have like 6 guys left on the roster, so I'm sure the plan is to fill the rest of the roster up with ring chasing vets.

Morris seems to fit the profile of a guy you hope to snag with the mid-level.  Will be 30 years old, still productive.  Willing to come off the bench.  Shows he can function well (enough) as a role player on a winning team behind big egos.

And if those teams don't land the big free agents, then they'll be looking to maintain cap room for next year to make a run at Anthony Davis (or maybe Draymond).  So then it turns into offering Morris a big 1 year deal, like Reddick or Caldwell-Pope have been signing.

I struggle to see a rebuilding Bulls team being appealing to a guy like Morris.  Also struggle to see a rebuilding Bulls team wanting to throw a lot of money/years at a vet like Morris to entice him to come.

Kings might be a threat, apparently a good team on the rise, looking for solid a vet to help them get over the hump.  And I don't think have any big name expensive targets after Vucevic.

All that to say, I only see the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers either offering mid-level or 1 year deals.  Kings are a wild card.  But if those are the teams pursuing Morris, he might not be that expensive to keep.

But since those teams are currently under the cap, they won't even be able to offer the full or even taxpayers MLE, they will only have the room MLE, which only starts at $4.76M/yr. Teams that are already over the cap (but not the tax) will have the biggest advantage being able to offer $9.25M in year one.

I am not sure of Shams line of thinking here, but it appears Morris might be in line for something bigger if those teams miss out on at least one of their big catches. I imagine Shams is well aware of the salary implications. The Cs would otherwise be in the driver's seat by simply offering something like a $40M/4 year contract (essentially a standard 4 year MLE contract).

This came up in another thread a couple of weeks ago and I argued that it was unfair for teams under the cap to not get the same MLE as teams over it. People told me that it wasn't a big deal since those teams would have enough cap space anyway (and I argued, not if they spent it), but I think the Morris salary info shows why a team under the cap likely won't get Morris (or somebody like him) unless they spend big money on him.

Shams only said they had interest, not how much they're going to offer, so it's up to us to figure that out  .  Still think those teams will have the look to sign Morris with their $4.75m room exception after they sign their big targets.  Or sign him to a large 1 year placeholder deal.

Do you think Morris is that much more valuable to a team than Ilyasova, who was 31 this season, while Morris will be 30 next season.  Ilysova only got $7m per year for 3 years.

On the flip side, a young guy (Justise Winslow) with tons of upside who fills a similar role to Morris just got $13m per year for 3 years, but he was only 21.  So that's what a young guy with upside gets.  I don't think a vet turning 30 that fills a similar role gets anywhere near that.

Or you can get the large 1 year deals like Ariza ($15m) or Tyreke Evans ($12m) got.  But those are only for 1 year.

So if LAL, LAC, and NYK are the teams targeting Morris, I think it's with their room exception or a bigger 1 year deal. think the pitch is either come play with Durant and Irving in NY or Kawhi and Butler in LAC or LeBron and Durant in LAL and be a key part of a championship team.  Market is $7m-ish, so $4.75m isn't that big of a discount, but you'll get a ring and get to be in one of the greatest NBA cities.

If these are in fact the teams courting Morris, I definitely think Boston is in the drivers seat (though who knows what SAC or CHI offers will look like).  You said $40m/4yr, I'm thinking the C's might be able to keep him for a 2 or 3 year deal <=$10m per if LAL, LAC, and NYK are the main competition.

I should clarify that I don't even know if I want Morris back at any price. I think he came up big for us at certain times this year, but he was used as more of a crutch when I thought the Jays or Hayward should have been getting his shots.

I think Morris assumes he is in line for a pay raise and I'd imagine that will be his first priority coming off of such a paltry contract. I agree with you that Ilyasova is actually a good comp and I think I'd be satisfied if we kept him at that number/years as long as he re-accepts his bench role. I also think it's possibly he goes the JJ Redick route and signs a huge 1-year salary for a team that only gets 0 or 1 max FAs. Frankly, that team could be the Cs if Irving walks.

[flybono]

Someone will overpay.  Good riddance.

Amen

[Scottiej23]

Heard it on pretty good authority that Boston proposed a Rozier trade to Phoenix near the trade deadline. We were to get a bag of practice basketballs in return. The Suns baulked at this though and demanded we also throw in an unprotected first rounder.

[SHAQATTACK]

Heard it on pretty good authority that Boston proposed a Rozier trade to Phoenix near the trade deadline. We were to get a bag of practice basketballs in return. The Suns baulked at this though and demanded we also throw in an unprotected first rounder.

i take The bag of practice basketballs for Rozier

[PAOBoston]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper

No he wasn't. He was brought in because he was a rotation guy with a cheap two-year deal and the difference between his salary at the time and the final year of Avery's contract was the amount needed to finalize Hayward's free agency signing. Coming from someone who appreciated Morris for who he is, he was never some marquee acquisition.

I think Morris was generally a good acquisition for the Cs. He was a much better player than Bradley ever was. People also seemed to forget that he was the most consistent player on that team for the first three months of last season. I would not be opposed to bringing him under the right circumstances.

[Scottiej23]

Heard it on pretty good authority that Boston proposed a Rozier trade to Phoenix near the trade deadline. We were to get a bag of practice basketballs in return. The Suns baulked at this though and demanded we also throw in an unprotected first rounder.

i take The bag of practice basketballs for Rozier

That was the thing though, Phoenix wanted a first rounder as well.

[jambr380]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper

No he wasn't. He was brought in because he was a rotation guy with a cheap two-year deal and the difference between his salary at the time and the final year of Avery's contract was the amount needed to finalize Hayward's free agency signing. Coming from someone who appreciated Morris for who he is, he was never some marquee acquisition.

I think Morris was generally a good acquisition for the Cs. He was a much better player than Bradley ever was. People also seemed to forget that he was the most consistent player on that team for the first three months of last season. I would not be opposed to bringing him under the right circumstances.

At the time, I accepted that the Morris trade was necessary as a means of signing Hayward and thought he was a decent acquisition, but AB was clearly a better player than Morris in Boston. He was coming off a season where he averaged 16.3ppg/6.1rpg/39% 3-pt all while being 1st team All-Defense on an ECF team. Losing AB would have been a much bigger blow if not for JB's emergence in 17-18 and Smart's improvement in 18-19.   

[gouki88]

He was brought in to become a LeBron-stopper

No he wasn't. He was brought in because he was a rotation guy with a cheap two-year deal and the difference between his salary at the time and the final year of Avery's contract was the amount needed to finalize Hayward's free agency signing. Coming from someone who appreciated Morris for who he is, he was never some marquee acquisition.

I think Morris was generally a good acquisition for the Cs. He was a much better player than Bradley ever was. People also seemed to forget that he was the most consistent player on that team for the first three months of last season. I would not be opposed to bringing him under the right circumstances.

At the time, I accepted that the Morris trade was necessary as a means of signing Hayward and thought he was a decent acquisition, but AB was clearly a better player than Morris in Boston. He was coming off a season where he averaged 16.3ppg/6.1rpg/39% 3-pt all while being 1st team All-Defense on an ECF team. Losing AB would have been a much bigger blow if not for JB's emergence in 17-18 and Smart's improvement in 18-19.

Yeah, IMO that's very disrespectful to AB. Bradley was much much better on defence, was a better scorer that season and more efficient. Not even close

[jambr380]

Heard it on pretty good authority that Boston proposed a Rozier trade to Phoenix near the trade deadline. We were to get a bag of practice basketballs in return. The Suns baulked at this though and demanded we also throw in an unprotected first rounder.

i take The bag of practice basketballs for Rozier

That was the thing though, Phoenix wanted a first rounder as well.

Are you sure about this? Rozier had half a season left where he was making $3M. Any team acquiring him would have received his RFA rights and it is no secret that PHX is in need of a young PG.

There was also this:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported Monday that the Suns offered a protected first-round pick for Rozier, but Boston demanded the pick be unprotected.

http://arizonasports.com/story/1862617/report-suns-offered-celtics-protected-first-round-pick-for-terry-rozier/