The New York Knicks brought a familiar face back a couple weeks ago when they signed Marcus Morris Sr. to a non-guaranteed deal. He spent the first half of the 2019-20 season in NYC before he was traded to the Clippers.
Morris's time with the Knicks was brief but impactful. New York wouldn't have gotten Immanuel Quickley if it wasn't for him. If it weren't for Quickley, the Knicks wouldn't have OG Anunoby. Morris returning to New York was a full-circle moment, but it didn't last long.
The Knicks' decision to sign Morris made sense. New York's frontcourt depth was thin after Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency. Mitchell Robinson is still on the roster but will miss the first few months of the season. Morris had a shot to make the final roster, but that was before Friday night.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Timberwolves were finalizing a deal to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks. Two minutes later, Charania reported that Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were going to Minnesota in the deal. The trade isn't yet official, but it should be soon.
Marcus Morris Sr. rejected second Knicks training camp invite after KAT trade
New York waived Morris Sr. and Chuma Okeke on Saturday. Okeke was also on a non-guaranteed deal.
Knicks waive Marcus Morris Sr. and Chuma Okeke
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) September 28, 2024
Morris went from having a shot at making the final roster to not making it to training camp. However, the Knicks extended another invite to Morris after they waived him. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reported that Morris declined the invite.
Marcus Morris opted against re-joining Knicks on a camp deal, per sources, after he was waived due to financial implications of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Morris became unlikely to make the Knicks roster. He is now a free agent and aiming to join a team before the NBA season.
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) October 1, 2024
His chances of securing a roster spot dropped significantly after the KAT trade. Morris has a higher chance of earning a roster spot elsewhere versus spending preseason with the Knicks. Edwards said that he guesses New York offered Morris a training camp deal "out of respect for him."
Initially? This has been years in the making so they probably never were sure if Minn would do it. Post trade? I think they offered Morris a camp deal out of respect for him but were honest that he’d likely not make team so if he wanted to try and stick somewhere else, go for it. https://t.co/O8ATrPHnNM
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) October 1, 2024
Morris turned 35 last month. His time in the NBA is coming to a close, but he isn't done yet. He hasn't signed a deal with another team yet, but he should've already garnered interest.
He played with the Sixers (37 games) and Cavaliers (12 games) last season. Morris won't play a big role wherever he ends up next, but he's a good veteran option to have on the end of the bench. It's a bonus that he can knock down threes.
As nice as it would've been to have an enforcer like Morris on this Knicks squad, the chances of him suiting up for New York on opening night were slim.