Marcus Morris Sr. is going to be one of the hottest names around the trade deadline, but the New York Knicks might hold onto the veteran.
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the New York Knicks “have no plans” to trade Marcus Morris Sr. despite the fact that the forward is “a hot name around league circles.”
Morris, 30, is having the best year of his career and would likely net a late first-round pick in a trade, but the Knicks appear to be prioritizing winning now over acquiring draft capital.
Morris is averaging 19.1 points on 46.9% three-point shooting, both career highs. The veteran forward has been the most consistent player on the Knicks and his leadership in the locker room is undeniable.
The caveat here is that Morris is only on a one-year deal and he’s playing himself into a nice payday this summer. There’s no guarantee that he will re-sign with the Knicks after the season. After all, he reneged on an initial agreement with the San Antonio Spurs to sign with the Knicks in the first place.
Although Morris is clearly having a positive effect on the Knicks, the team must decide whether or not they want to prioritize culture building or acquiring draft capital.
Furthermore, the Knicks could be giving off the impression that they plan on keeping Morris to try and drive up his value. There is little doubt that he is going to be a highly-coveted guy as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
Morris is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz with a sore neck. The injury kept the forward out of New York’s 30-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
