NBA Rumors: Marcus Morris Could Have Gotten More Money With Clippers

Marcus Morris has certainly gained a lot of attention the past few days, mostly tied up to where he was planning to play for the 2019-20 NBA season. As most know by now, the 29-year-old forward opted to sign a one-year contract with the New York Knicks for $15 million which was undoubtedly a lot better than the two-year $20 million deal pitched by the San Antonio Spurs. But based on latest reports, the Los Angeles Clippers also dangled a lucrative offer which, thankfully, did not materialize.

League sources told Frank Isola of The Athletic that Morris was offered a three-year deal worth $41 million by the Clippers. 50-percent of that was to be given to the14th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft on October 1. However, Morris was reportedly looking for something over $40 million in two years. Had the Clips bitten, they would have not been able to sign Kawhi Leonard to a max contract. Los Angeles ended up getting Maurice Harkless instead.

It turned out to be a tumultuous week for Morris who eventually parted ways with his agent Rich Paul. Reports cropped up that the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year was unhappy at the way negotiations were handled. The highlight of the week was the Spurs offer which Morris ditched in favor of the Knicks due to the difference in pay and of course the fact that he could be a free agent again next NBA season. But according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Paul was not part of the talks with the Knicks and urged him to stick to the original plan of joining the Spurs.

Regardless, the circus behind the Marcus Morris drama is over. He will be suiting up for the Knicks and will be checking out the market again next NBA offseason. But if there is one team who will likely pass on him, it would be the Spurs. The Clippers, depending on their campaign for the 2019-20 NBA wars could pitch again or even the Knicks if he turns out to be a valuable addition.

Morris has so far played for five NBA teams since entering the league in 2011. His best year was back during the 2016 NBA season where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 80 games. He is expected to put up the same numbers for the coming season although this still depends on how he will be utilized by head coach David Fizdale.