Report: Marcus Morris to sign $15M deal with Knicks after pulling out of agreement with Spurs
Free agent forward Marcus Morris plans to sign a $15 million deal with the New York Knicks after reneging on his agreement with the San Antonio Spurs, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.
The Spurs pulled their offer to Morris and agreed to a deal with free agent Trey Lyles, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Morris reportedly had committed to Spurs
Morris, who played for the Boston Celtics last season, had previously agreed to terms on a two-year, $20 million deal with the Spurs after the start of free agency. But sources told Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes earlier this week that he was considering reneging on the deal for a $15 million deal with the Knicks.
“I had to make this decision based on the best situation for me and my family,” Morris told The Athletic. “This is no knock on the Spurs. I have respect for them.”
The Spurs had held out hope that Morris may follow through on the agreement despite his not showing up for a physical last week, according to Haynes. San Antonio had traded forward Davis Bertans to open up the mid-level exception to make room for Morris under the cap.
Spurs go to Plan B
But it appears now that the Spurs will settle on a backup plan as Morris joins the Knicks.
Morris, 29, averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point distance.
The Knicks are adding Morris to their free agent haul that also includes Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton and Wayne Ellington. The Knicks cleared up cap space for this high-stakes free agency period, but failed to come to terms with any of the top-level players on the market.
Lyles, 23, joins the Spurs coming off a season that saw him average 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench for the Denver Nuggets.
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