As the NBA Trade Deadline comes closer, it’s no surprise to see the Philadelphia 76ers connected to a trade rumor for a player that would fit in perfectly.
It’s about to be one of the best times of the season, the upcoming NBA Trade Deadline. Despite the Philadelphia 76ers being in the conversation for Eastern Conference contenders, the club still has some major flaws. However, one rumor has the Sixers interested in a player that could help fix most of those problems.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the 76ers have interest in Marcus Morris. It should be noted that Morris would currently like to stay with the New York Knicks for the rest of the season.
Beyond Morris being a Philly native, he’s also having a career year with the Knicks. He’s averaging 19.1 points (career high) and 5.5 rebounds, while making 46.9 percent of his 5.8 3-point attempts. Morris is 14th in made 3-pointers per game at 2.7 and he’s second in 3-point percentage.
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He’s a gritty defender, willing passer and 3-point shooter that would help floor spacing for both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He would be instantly the best player coming off the bench for the Sixers and fits in almost any combination of the starting five pretty well. However, there’s one major obstacle in adding Morris. He’s on a one-deal worth $15 million.
Unless the 76ers are willing to part with one of their starters or gut it’s bench, it will be basically impossible for them to add Morris. With him being on a one-year deal, the Sixers would lose long term value with any deal they would make.
More than likely, if they did make a deal for Morris, it be easier to move one of the starters. Out of the players in the starting unit, Al Horford would most likely be the one moved. Josh Richardson could be an option as well, although Morris would fit better into the starting five if Horford was the one moved.
Horford has struggled on both sides of the ball as a late and isn’t on a team friendly contract. However, I’ve written about how the Sixers need to wait to see what Horford can provide in the postseason before deciding to give up on him or not. Morris is good on both sides of the ball, but he won’t be able provide the interior defense or pass skills that Horford has, which is important for the playoffs.
It’s not surprising that the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in Morris. He has a connection to the city and he’s an ideal fit in this roster. However, unless the team is sure it’s ready to move on from Horford or give up it’s depth, bringing in Morris will be almost impossible to do.