Knicks Trade Rumors: 'No Plans' to Move Marcus Morris Amid 76ers, Clippers Buzz

The 10-27 New York Knicks are going nowhere fast this season, but Marcus Morris Sr. is reportedly going nowhere ahead of the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline. 

According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, the Knicks "have no plans" to move the 30-year-old forward.

Goodwill expanded on the Knicks' purported thinking:

"He's on an expiring contract that he's outperforming, capable of playing both forward positions and is shooting 46.9 percent from three on nearly six attempts a game. The notion that his numbers are inflated because he's playing for the Knicks haven't quelled interest, but the Knicks seem set on keeping Morris as a piece for the present and future.

"He likes playing in New York and for the franchise, two things that aren't a given with other players."

SNY's Ian Begley reported on Tuesday that the Philadelphia 76ers are "keeping an eye on Morris," while the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers are believed by opposing executives to be monitoring Morris' market. That now seems like a dead-end for all interested parties.

Morris joined the Knicks on a one-year deal worth $15 million in July after a peculiar free agency. The 2011 14th overall pick had initially agreed to sign with the San Antonio Spurs on a two-year, $20 million contract but backed out.

Morris explained his reasoning in a late-July interview with The Athletic's Shams Charania:

"I have a good relationship with those guys and I have so much respect for (head coach) Pop (Gregg Popovich), (general manager) RC (Buford) and (assistant GM) Brian Wright. The first thing that I did when I knew I would be going another direction, I called and made sure they knew. There was no shade. There's no disrespect. I had great conversations afterward, and as long as I feel that I'm clear with them and gave them my truth, I feel good about moving forward."

Morris also noted that it appealed to him to be able to play close to his hometown of Philadelphia. "I get to see my family a lot," the University of Kansas product said.

Morris played for the Boston Celtics from 2017 through last season, and his desire to stay on the East Coast makes sense given his previous stints with the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons. 

Morris averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 129 games (74 starts) in two seasons with the Celtics. So far with the Knicks, he's on pace to set career-high averages with 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 31.7 minutes across 33 games (all starts).

The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale on Dec. 6 after a 4-18 start. Mike Miller is the interim head coach, and the team has gone 6-9 under him. 

Morris is nursing a sore neck, which caused him to miss New York's 117-87 blowout loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night and has him listed as doubtful for Wednesday night's contest in Utah.