3 Teams that should trade for Marcus Morris | NBA Trade Deadline
With the February 6 trade deadline looming, Marcus Morris' name has been mentioned in a plethora of rumours as of late. After signing a one-year, $15 million deal with the New York Knicks in the off-season, his breakout year has seen him average a career-high 19 points and 5.5 assists per game, on an astounding 47% shooting from beyond the arc.
Unarguably, the veteran swingman has been playing the best basketball of his career and as expected, teams are lining up to formulate trade packages for his services. Moreover, he is posting such impressive numbers despite playing at small forward position (although best suited to be a power forward) on a team that does fairly little in terms of spacing.
The vet mentor has kept the Knicks competitive so far, even if their 11-32 (0.256) win-loss record suggests otherwise.
From an individual standpoint, Morris can be the final piece of the puzzle for teams looking to make the final leap. In this piece, we will look at three franchises that would benefit the most from a Marcus Morris trade before All-Star break.
#1 Los Angeles Lakers
More often than not, the Los Angeles Lakers have found themselves searching for a third reliable scorer down the stretch. When we look past LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma's 12.9 ppg just doesn't resonate championship caliber for the near future.
The Lakers are currently leading the West with an imposing 34-8 (0.810) record, and are a locked in to make a deep postseason run. The inclusion of Morris will provide a reliable vocal presence on the court, and alleviate huge offensive pressure off LeBron and Davis' shoulders.
Moreover, Morris' outside shooting prowess has been more lethal and effective than any player on the entire Lakers roster this season.
We know playoff Bron will be in full effect come April, but we also know that he is more injury prone in his career that he ever was. So when push comes to shove, the Lakers need a secondary tough veteran presence to score and lead while AD continues to do his thing.