Marcus Morris Says He Turned Down 3-Year Clippers Contract to Sign with Knicks
Before Marcus Morris agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs and reneged on that to ink a one-year, $15 million deal with the New York Knicks, he was offered a three-year, $41 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite that looking like the best deal on paper, Morris turned the deal down and doesn't regret it one bit.
"It had nothing to do with me playing here [in L.A.]," Morris told The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov. "Personally, as a player, I felt as though I was worth more. I felt as though my time in the NBA, with the production I had throughout the years, I felt I was worth more than what they offered. That was just my opinion. As a player that's what I was standing on."
Morris' decision has paid off, as he's in the midst of a career-best season despite the Knicks' woes. He's averaging 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while knocking down a career-high 46.9 percent of his threes.
"I just bet on myself," he said. "I came with the Knicks, I'd seen a great opportunity, I'd seen a great group of guys, and I wanted to bet on myself on an opportunity where I can showcase what I really can do and I thought that New York would be the perfect place for me to come."
Morris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer again and has said he hopes to re-sign with the Knicks. Given his uptick in performance, odds are the starting point in any deal will be the $15 million he's making in 2019-20—a move that already makes him turning down the Clippers seem like a smart business decision.
That said, Morris is considered a potential trade chip ahead of February's deadline. In the event he moves, odds are it will be to a contender that sees him as a role player rather than a leading man. The numbers will drop, and the focus will be lasered in on his performance in the postseason.
While this is Morris' fifth straight season averaging at least 13 points per game, going into July pushing the 20 mark would do wonders for pitching him to teams this summer—even if the numbers come on a losing team.
