JULY 25: The Nuggets have officially signed Morris, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 19: The Nuggets have reached an agreement with Monte Morris on a three-year contract worth $4.8MM, with the first two seasons guaranteed, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Morris had been on a two-way contract with Denver, but his new deal will be a standard contract that moves him to the team’s 15-man roster.
Morris, the 51st overall pick in the 2017 draft, only appeared in three NBA games during his rookie season. However, he had a strong season for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League, averaging 17.8 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.8 SPG in 37 contests.
The 6’2″ guard also played well for the Nuggets in Summer League action this month, posting a team-high 17.5 PPG on 50% shooting in four games in Las Vegas. He also chipped in 6.3 APG and 3.3 RPG.
Morris will fill out the roster for the Nuggets, who now have 15 players on NBA contracts. He figures to slot in as the team’s third point guard behind Jamal Murray and Isaiah Thomas. As long as both Murray and Thomas are healthy, Morris may not have much of a role in Denver’s rotation, so more G League stints are possible.
A three-year, minimum-salary contract would have been worth about $4.66MM for Morris. Based on Charania’s report, he’ll receive slightly more than that, so Denver will likely use Morris’ Non-Bird rights to complete the signing.
Still dont get the IT signing, or moving Chandler, since they were able to get rid of Faried and Arthur. Morris is a good defender, and should see some rotation minutes this year, as should Malik Beasley
They signed IT because they needed instant offense off the bench, and it has been reported that Michael Malone is a big believer in IT. Murray and Harris likely remain the starters, but it provides tremendous matchup flexibility and another guy who will draw attention away from Jokic late in games.
They moved Chandler to get out of the tax (it needed to be him or Plumlee, who has much less value in a trade), create a decent-sized trade exception, and allow them to move Will Barton into the starting lineup, since they paid him like a starter when he re-signed.
I knew all of those things. I still ask why it was done b/c it doesnt make sense. I also dont think Barton is a starter. Craig should start at the 3 for some defense, and Barton remains a scorer off the bench. You dont need IT. That team needs defense. Chandler was one of their best defenders, and only options at the 3 spot (even though he is generally a 4 at this point of his career), and by getting rid of Faried and Arthur, they already cleared a bunch of money, so why not keep someone like Chandler and pay slightly more for a year? They missed the playoffs by an OT period, mostly b/c Milsap missed as many games as he did, as well as Gary Harris at the end of the season. The depth matters, and they have a chance to be in the middle of the West somewhere. Nevertheless, after moving Chandler, I dont see the reason they need IT, and I think they wont be able to hide his deficiencies. Monte Morris and Malik Beasley should see some playing time
I like the move for IT, might play more than people thinks, he is a better PG than Murray easily