NBA Rumors: Knicks Possibly Making Morris New Cornerstone, Trades Scorned?

The New York Knicks are one of the teams that could be active by the NBA trade deadline. Several of their players have been mentioned in potential talks. However, there is a growing belief that there are some who will not be dealt away. One of those players could be Marcus Morris.

Opting to sign a one-year deal last summer, Morris has been having a career year. In 33 games, the 30-year-old forward has averaged 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Aside from that, the 6-foot-8 player made it clear that he wanted to stay in Gotham. But the question there is how long?

Morris has become one of the targeted players before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. There are several teams interested in acquiring the 14th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Among the teams reportedly in the pursuit are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles-based team. Curiously, it would be best to note that Morris turned down a three-year $41 million deal last offseason, CBS Sports reported.

However, Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports said that the Knicks have no plans of trading Morris. It appears New York plans to keep him as a key piece for their present and future.

This shoots down the notion that the Knicks were focusing on acquiring more picks, expiring contracts or young players, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported. New York has six first-round picks in the next four years, somehow hinting that getting more younger players does not make sense.

At 10-28, the Knicks are likely to miss the NBA playoffs once more. There are players who could be traded such as Dennis Smith Jr. or Bobby Portis. Other names that frequented the NBA trade rumor mill include Taj Gibson and Julius Randle but nothing has gone down as of this writing.

In the case of Morris, it will be interesting if he will be singing the same tune after the current NBA season. The fact remains that he will become an unrestricted free agent - meaning teams will continue to pursue him this summer.

Morris did say that he loves it in New York and want to be part of the youth movement of the Knicks. He alleged he wants to stay there long-term but the scenario could change in the offseason. For him, money is not an issue. But that too could change once his current deal runs out.