Knicks Trade Rumors: NY 'Hell-Bent on Keeping' Marcus Morris amid Clippers Buzz

The New York Knicks have received interest in Marcus Morris since he became trade eligible in December but are reportedly "hell-bent" on retaining the forward.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Knicks' current plan is to keep Morris. However, it's possible New York changes its mind if the price rises to the point the front office can't say no.

Morris, 30, is in the midst of a career year and is one of the few bright spots in a lost Knicks season. He's averaging 19.4 points and 5.5 rebounds on 44.0 percent shooting (43.8 percent from three), numbers that will make him a coveted name in July.

The Knicks signed Morris to a one-year, $15 million contract after he reneged on a verbal agreement on a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs last offseason. The Los Angeles Clippers, who offered Morris a three-year, $41 million deal during the summer, are among the teams interested in making a trade for the veteran. 

Morris said last month he wants to remain in New York despite the team languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

"I love our team," Morris told The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov. "I love our future. I just want to be a part of helping our young guys grow and grow out to be the great players they're gonna be.

"That was the reason why I made the decision to come here, going back on the decisions I made, along with a lot of other things, but I'm here. I enjoy this organization. I enjoy the players they got here and I want to be here long-term."

The Knicks will have enough space to sign Morris to a long-term agreement this summer, but their desire to keep him through the deadline seems odd. They could easily ship Morris off at the deadline to recoup assets with the idea of re-signing him next summer.

Questionable signings from last summer have already littered the roster with veterans who are taking minutes away from developing players; subtracting Morris would go a long way toward fixing the logjam. Even if Morris were to not re-sign over the summer, he's not the type of player who moves the needle from contention to non-contention.