Cavaliers Urged To Re-Sign Marcus Morris

NBA analyst Tommy Wild of Sports Illustrated has urged the Cleveland Cavaliers to re-sign Marcus Morris.

Morris is an unrestricted NBA free agent. He played 12 games for the Cavaliers last season. 

“The Cavs still desperately need to add more wing depth to this roster, and Morris, who will enter his 13th season this fall, could provide that in a limited role,” Wild wrote. “He may not be in Kenny Atkinson’s every-game rotation, but Morris’ value as a veteran voice in the locker room cannot be overlooked. When he is on the floor, Morris can provide much-needed floor spacing playing either forward position. While Morris may not be the player he was in his prime, he could still have a role on the Cavaliers moving forward.”

Morris played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Cavaliers last season. He finished the campaign with averages of 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 43.9% from the field, 40.3% from beyond the arc and 81.8% from the free-throw line. 

In 12 games with the Cavaliers, Morris averaged 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.2 blocks while shooting 44.1% overall, 41.4% from 3 and 62.5% from the foul line. 

The Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs in five games. J.B. Bickerstaff was fired as head coach and replaced by Kenny Atkinson, who signed a five-year deal. 

According to NBA reporter Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers front office will meet with Atkinson once he returns from France to discuss possible roster additions.

“I’m told that this front office is going to get together with Kenny Atkinson when he returns from France,” Fedor said on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. “They’re going to have a conversation about whether there are any players out there with ties to Kenny, either from his days in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Golden State that would make sense to fill that roster spot and be some combination of maybe the guy can play, maybe the guy can add playable depth, but he’s a locker room lieutenant for Kenny. Somebody who can teach some of these guys the system and set a professional attitude with the culture and stuff like that.

“I don’t know who that would be, I don’t know who fits that profile. Maybe it is Tristan Thompson, maybe it is Marcus Morris, maybe it is somebody else that we haven’t talked about, maybe it’s, you know, one of these guys that’s on the French national team that he wants to bring to America.”