Getty Marcus Morris
Among the interesting names remaining on the free agency market, former Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris is worth noting. While the 29-year-old has been linked to a few various teams thus far, the early stages of free agency have left the door open for him to fit with a number of potential destinations.
Although Morris played on a crowded Celtics roster over the past two seasons, his upside was apparent. In turn, he’s a player who should find a new home and slide into a big role immediately when the 2019-20 season rolls around. Over his two years with Boston, Morris averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while increasing his numbers across the board from year one to year two.
During his 2018-19 campaign, Morris posted marks of 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting a career-best 44.7 percent from the field along with 37.5 percent from 3-point range. His ability to step out and knock down shots from beyond the arc was impressive last year, as he put up his most attempts from deep (5.2) per game in a single season of his career.
We’re going to take a look at the best fits for Morris in free agency, as a number of teams have a major need at power forward.
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Marcus Morris’ Best Free Agency Fits: Warriors, Rockets
GettyMarcus Morris
If we aren’t factoring in salary cap space into the conversation, then the Golden State Warriors could be a great landing spot for Morris. Unfortunately, they’re a bit strapped for cap space, but could likely find a way to make a deal work with the 29-year-old, as he’s unlikely to receive a large contract.
The need for the Warriors is fairly obvious after losing Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets while also sending Andre Iguodala out of town as part of a sign-and-trade to bring D’Angelo Russell to town. While Golden State did re-sign Kevon Looney (per The Athletic’s Shams Charania), they’re lacking frontcourt depth and Morris would immediately help in that area.
As for the Houston Rockets, it’s a situation that could depend on how the team decides to move forward with their roster. But regardless of what the future holds for a player like P.J. Tucker, I could see the Rockets attempting to navigate their way into landing Morris to provide some much-needed scoring from the power forward position.
Morris would be an interesting fit alongside James Harden and Chris Paul, and there’s no question he’d see a number of open looks along with the opportunity to make an impact regardless of his specific role.
Pelicans & Lakers Among Intriguing Fits for Marcus Morris
I’d be interested to see Morris on the New Orleans Pelicans roster, but there may be too many players vying for playing time for it to really make sense. Beyond the addition of No. 1 pick Zion Williamson and another first-rounder in Jaxson Hayes, the Pelicans acquired Derrick Favors via trade as well.
Regardless, if it made sense and Morris believed he could see decent minutes, he’d help round out an impressive Pelicans group that’s been put together following the trade of Anthony Davis.
The appeal of Morris joining the Los Angeles Lakers is fairly obvious, especially if the team is able to land Kawhi Leonard. With that said, money again becomes a key conversation assuming things play out as planned for the Lakers, as they’d be forced to hand out minimum contracts to fill the roster.
If the Lakers could make it work with Morris, he’d be locked into big minutes as a top player on the second unit, which could offer a decent amount of appeal.
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