Nets sign forward Markieff Morris to one-year deal

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Markieff Morris to a one-year deal, pending a physical exam. According to sources, this is a non-guaranteed, veteran-minimum contract.

Morris was selected 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent his first four full seasons with the Suns. Now, the Nets are the 32-year-old’s eighth team over the course of an 11-year career.

Free agent Markieff Morris has agreed to a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, pending physical exam, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 30, 2022

In the 2014-15 season, through a full 82-game season, the forward averaged a career-high 15.3 points per game. Plus, he averaged 46.5% shooting from the field and 31.8% from 3-point range.

And Morris averaged 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He now has another chance to prove himself on the Nets.

On January 13, 2015, in the Suns’ 107-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Morris scored a career-high 35 points in 38 minutes of action. He finished 15-of-21 (71.4%) shooting from the floor.

Additionally, on February 18, 2016, the Suns traded Morris to the Washington Wizards for DeJuan Blair, Khris Humphries and a 2016 first-round draft pick.

Nets sign forward Markieff Morris to one-year contract

On February 7, 2019, after three full seasons played with the Wizards, the team traded Morris, cash and a 2023 second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Wesley Johnson.

Then, the Pelicans waived him on the same day they acquired him.

He finished the rest of the 2018-19 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

During the 2019 offseason, Morris signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons. But he only played a couple of months under head coach Dwane Casey. The Philadelphia native was waived on February 21, 2020.

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Of course, he then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The forward helped the Lakers defeat the Miami Heat in six games of the 2020 NBA Finals.

Morris averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game against Miami.

Months later, Morris signed a contract extension with the Lakers. In the 2020-21 season, the Kansas product averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He made 61 appearances and 27 starts.

Equally important, the forward signed a contract with the Heat on August 6, 2021. Based on his NBA experience, this is a decent pickup by the Nets.

Last season, in 17 games played off the bench for head coach Erik Spoelstra, the 11-year veteran averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. With the Heat, he also shot 47.4% from the floor and 33.3% from downtown.

Due to a neck injury, he missed 58 games last season after Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic shoved him from behind after a play ended. This event happened on November 8, 2021, in the Nuggets’ 113-96 win over the Heat. Before the incident, Morris fouled Jokic near mid-court.

Needless to say, Morris was fined $50,000 and Jokic received a one-game suspension. The Heat forward was diagnosed with whiplash.

For the upcoming 2022-23 season, Markieff Morris should enhance the Nets’ frontcourt. He will fight for minutes off the bench.