Marcus Morris
Rick Scuteri/AP Photo

Amid plenty of trade speculation, Marcus Morris Sr. reiterates his desire to be with the New York Knicks “long term.”

Marcus Morris Sr. is a valuable trade piece for the New York Knicks to dangle in front of contenders looking for another forward who can space the floor. The veteran scored a career-high 38 points on Sunday and when asked if he still wants to be with the Knicks, he left no doubt.

“You just asked me that last week,” Morris said. “That isn’t going to change. I love our team. I love our future. I just want to be a part of helping these young guys grow into the great players they’re going to be.”

Morris, 30, is only with the Knicks on a one-year deal, but he told reporters that he wants to stay in New York long term.

“That was the reason why I made the decision to come here, going back on the decisions I made, along with a lot of other things,” Morris said. “I’m here and I enjoy this organization, I enjoy the players they got here and I want to be here long term.”

In 33 games, Morris is averaging 19.1 points and shooting the three-ball at an impressive clip. He’s canning 46.9% of his shots from deep and attempting 5.8 threes per game.

The Knicks desperately need his floor spacing, but they still have to think long and hard about trading the veteran. Although Morris is saying all the right things at the moment, there’s no guarantee he re-signs during the offseason.

Monitoring his situation will be an ongoing storyline until the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.