JULY 3: Morris’ one-year, minimum-salary contract is now official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
JULY 2: Free agent point guard Monte Morris intends to sign a contract with the Suns, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 had reported (via Twitter) earlier today that Morris appeared to be the club’s top option among free agent point guards.
Phoenix is limited to minimum-salary offers as a second-apron team, and Morris’ deal will be for one year, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. It’s a nice get for the Suns, who had been in the market for a reliable option at the point.
Morris is coming off a down year in which he missed the first half due to a quad injury, changed teams in a midseason trade, and took some time to get back into game shape. He averaged just 5.0 points and 2.1 assists in 14.4 minutes per game across 33 total appearances with Detroit and Minnesota.
However, the 29-year-old has a solid NBA track record as both a backup and a starter. Across five seasons in Denver and Washington from 2018-23, he averaged 10.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.5 RPG with a shooting line of .480/.392/.829 in 339 games (166 starts; 25.8 MPG).
With three ball-dominant stars in Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant, the Suns didn’t really use a traditional point guard much in 2023/24, and I wouldn’t expect Morris to crack the team’s starting lineup. But having a veteran ball-handler who can help organize the offense should provide new head coach Mike Budenholzer with more options in his first year at the helm.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Timberwolves had interest in re-signing Morris, but his return was considered a long shot after he didn’t have a role in the playoffs and the team acquired Rob Dillingham on draft night.
Great fit; super bargain
They’ve done a pretty good job so far, in the draft and otherwise, adding some better fitting pieces
Worst defensive guard I’ve ever seen play in the NBA, or very close to it. And yeah, I’ve seen Trae play. Just a revolving door. I don’t know who’s on the Suns second unit, but if he plays with Book that’s gonna be a LOT of extra work for DB.
He was actually pretty good defensively for Minnesota last year.
Excellent signing for a team that needed a floor general. He is not a great defender but PHX is addressing their issues nicely this off-season. They need some wing depth though.
Surprised he only got a minimum contract, would have thought 1+1 (team option) at $5M a year ($10M total).
New rules +undersized guard…we need more teams