The San Antonio Spurs are not having a good summer,
They agreed to a two-year contract with Marcus Morris in NBA free agency, but the veteran forward reneged on the deal and instead signed a one-year, $15 million pact with the New York Knicks.
Frank Isola of The Athletic reported on the Morris situation Friday, and he got one general manager to explain how the Spurs are feeling.
What Morris and the Knicks pulled off can certainly be classified as unethical, but it’s not illegal. All’s fair in love, war and NBA free agency, even if the Spurs didn’t like it.
“They’re pissed” is how one general manager described it.
Morris would've been a nice upgrade for the Spurs, who have made zero notable improvements to a roster that finished as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference last season. The main problem for San Antonio is many of its competitors in the West have gotten better this offseason, and the likelihood of the Spurs making any substantial improvements is now pretty low considering all of the top free agents already have signed.
The Spurs could look to trade star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who has one more year left on his contract, but that kind of move likely would result in the team punting on the 2019-20 season. As long as legendary head coach Gregg Popovich is still running the show, it's hard to envision the Spurs not trying to be as competitive as possible in the Western Conference playoff race.
The good news for the Spurs is talented point guard Dejounte Murray is set to return to the lineup after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. His comeback could be the upgrade the Spurs need to once again be a tough out in the playoffs.
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