Highlights:
- The Timberwolves acquire much-needed backcourt help by dealing for Monte Morris.
- Morris offers consistency and depth to the Timberwolves, who are hoping to win the championship this season.
- The Pistons plan to rebuild around young players and earn draft money by dealing Morris.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who led the Western Conference, were a club to monitor ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Timberwolves needed to shore up their backcourt and provide Mike Conley with some relief, so they traded for Detroit Pistons’ Monte Morris.
The Detroit Pistons are finalizing a deal to send guard Monte Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/9367Rn2iFz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2024
Morris has only played six games for Detroit due to injuries. However, there is hope that he will regain his form as a respectable starting point guard or excellent backup guard for the Timberwolves, who have title ambitions this season.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr., and one second-round selection to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for 28-year-old guard Monte Morris.
The Timberwolves’ offence is quite straightforward: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns set themselves up to score, Rudy Gobert anchors the paint, Jaden McDaniels shoots threes, and Conley sets the table for everyone.
Minnesota’s defence has helped them establish itself as the best in the West, and Morris is no exception. He is not a top player, but he will not reduce Minnesota’s floor if Conley, who is 36 years old, must sit. The deal is a huge victory for Minnesota, which had been linked to Morris before the deadline and was looking to add depth.
Morris started for the Denver Nuggets in 2021-22 and the Washington Wizards in 2022-23, but he is more comfortable coming off the bench, which is where he will play in Minnesota. Minnesota is signaling that they are all-in on their current squad by removing Brown Jr. and Milton, who combined for barely 23 minutes per game, and expect a title to be brought to the Land of Lakes for the first time since the Lakers were there.
The Pistons recognised that Morris was not the future point guard, and they needed to move the needle by bringing in young players and any draft money they could generate.
