The Minnesota Timberwolves are trading Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and a 2030 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for point guard Monte Morris, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The deal gives Minnesota the backup point guard it has been seeking all season.
While defense has been Minnesota's calling card all season, the offense has largely played well... when Anthony Edwards has been in the game. With him on the floor the Timberwolves score 117.2 points per 100 possessions, but when he goes to the bench, that figure plummets to 105.3. Lately, the Timberwolves have gotten into a nasty habit of blowing leads, especially when their bench comes in. The Timberwolves have lost seven times in the past month and blown cumulative leads of 100 points in those games.
This is where Morris comes in. In theory, he'll give the Timberwolves the reserve ball-handler they've needed all season. Though he's barely played this season due to a quad injury, he spent the two previous seasons starting in Denver and Washington. Before that, he was an elite backup for the Nuggets.
While he's a bit small, Minnesota's elite defense should mitigate the weaknesses that come from that. His shooting, passing and ball-handling will go a long way towards fixing their bench offense problems.
For the Pistons, the motivation is obvious. Morris is an impending free agent, and they were unlikely to re-sign him. While a 2030 second-round pick isn't especially valuable, it's better than nothing for a team that is focused primarily on developing its current young guards in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. The Pistons had little reason to retain Morris, so now he'll join a contender in the Timberwolves for the stretch run.
