With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George gaining plenty of time to rest and recover from the early season exit, the Los Angeles Clippers are high-spirited and locked in to enter the 2022-2023 campaign. Certainly, they are in consideration to add more solid enforcements to help them for a possible championship run – boosted after their crafty acquisitions of Norman Powell and Robert Covington last February from the Portland Trail Blazers.
As such, the franchise is widely expected to consider Marcus Morris Sr. and his contract this offseason, placing him as a possible trade piece for a potential upgrade in the roster (h/t Andrew Grief/Los Angeles Times).
Grief detailed that though Morris Sr. offers an instant offensive spark, L.A. is mindful of their loaded wings in the lineup. With Covington and Nicolas Batum also possibly rejoining the team next season, the forward might see himself more involved in the trade buzzes around the league.
With Leonard coming back and the possibility Batum and Robert Covington also will be back, Morris could be viewed as a valuable shot-maker but ultimately high-cost redundancy among a glut of wings. The Clippers are widely expected to look at Morris’ contract as a way to facilitate potential trades to upgrade the roster.
Currently, the veteran still has two more years left in his deal, wherein he will be owed $16.3 million in the team’s payroll for next season. In this look of his salary, the Clippers may attach a few more assets to Morris Sr. to try to land a high-quality return – with a third star player alongside Leonard and George an ideal target.
Los Angeles is looking to seize its remaining chances while the window is still not closing yet for a title quest. Though it’ll be difficult to cut ties with a reliable role player like Morris Sr., who stepped up his game and averaged 15.4 points in 54 percent true shooting percentage, the club remains keen on taking the risk and sacrificing for the bigger picture.
