The New York Knicks have signed veteran forward Marcus Morris to an Exhibit 9 contract, the team announced Sunday. This is the second notable Exhibit 9 contract that the Knicks have handed out in as many days, as New York also signed veteran sharpshooter Landry Shamet to such a deal on Saturday. Exhibit 9 contracts are essentially training camp invites. Both Morris and Shamet will now have a chance to make the Knicks roster. They will be competing with former Orlando Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke, who is also on a non-guaranteed deal, for New York's final roster slot.
Morris, entering his age-35 season, is a 13-year NBA veteran who has played for eight NBA teams. Among them are the Knicks, with whom he spent a memorable but brief stint during the 2019-20 campaign. The Knicks dealt him to the Clippers at the 2020 trade deadline, and he stayed in Los Angeles until last season, when he was included in the blockbuster trade for James Harden. He remained in Philadelphia until the trade deadline before getting dealt in a deal that brought Buddy Hield to the 76ers. Following a buyout, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he finished the 2023-24 campaign.
Morris is a versatile forward with the physicality to defend bigger wings, but his calling card is his shooting. He's made 37.7% of his 3-pointers in the NBA, and last season he was a hair above 40%. He's declined defensively with age, and he can't quite create his own looks as he could earlier in his career, but he's an experienced wing that the organization is familiar with from that first stint in New York.
Still, he'll face stiff competition for that final slot in New York. Between Morris, Shamet and Okeke, the Knicks have seemingly decided they want a known quantity as their 15th man. All three have played real NBA minutes, and given the injuries the Knicks experienced last season, they want to be sure whoever they pick is capable of doing so again next season.
