<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-monte-morris-teases-friendly-feud-devin-booker');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Monte-Morris-teases-friendly-feud-with-Devin-Booker.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T11:20:15-07:00">October 11th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T11:20:15-07:00">October 11th, 11:20am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Phoenix Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-add-backcourt-depth-behind-booker-sign-monte-morris">added more depth with Monte Morris</a> signing in free agency, it reignited a friendly rivalry between him and Devin Booker. During Thursday’s shootaround, Morris explained to reporters that if there was any trash talk about the previous two playoff series he and Booker played against each other.</p><p>“I left that in 2021… that wasn’t too good,” Morris said, chuckling. “I can’t even talk about that. It’s all fun and games. When I first got here, we brought it up, bickering back and forth but he was like, ‘Yeah, we swept y’all,’ and I’m like, ‘We slept y’all last year too.’ We go back and forth, but it’s love to be on the same side.”</p><p>In 2021, the Suns eliminated the Denver Nuggets with a 4-0 series sweep. In that series, Booker averaged <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/devin-booker-stats-vs-nuggets-playoffs-2021" rel="noopener">25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists</a> in four games. On the flip side, Morris averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2021-nba-western-conference-semifinals-nuggets-vs-suns.html" rel="noopener">11.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and five assists</a> while only starting in one game.</p><h2>Monte Morris got his revenge on Devin Booker and the Suns</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Suns-Monte-Morris-teases-friendly-feud-with-Devin-Booker-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fast forward three years, it was the inverse. Morris joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and faced the Suns in the first round. This time, Morris and his squad had the upper hand on his current team. Booker still played great, averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2024-nba-western-conference-first-round-suns-vs-timberwolves.html" rel="noopener">27.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and six assists</a> while playing 41.5 minutes per game. Despite the superstar performance, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-most-to-blame-for-embarrassing-playoff-sweep-at-hands-of-timberwolves">Suns were ultimately swept</a>.</p><p>Morris didn’t see much playing time like he did in 2021, as he only played 9.7 minutes per game. Regardless, the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they were knocked out by the Dallas Mavericks. Uncertainty loomed large as the Suns Big 3 seemed to take down any possible team. However, signing Morris and also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-tyus-jones-major-factor-join-suns">acquiring Tyus Jones</a> helps with having the offense run smoothly.</p><p>As Morris reflected on that series and playing against Booker, he’s glad they’re joining forces and not going against each other.</p><p>“He’s just a competitor, bro,” Morris said. “Book is a guy who always wants to win. He’s chippy, he talked trash and he backed it up. I’m just happy I’m on his side with him this time.”</p><p>The Suns are set to take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday, after facing off on Tuesday. In that game, Morris made his impact with the second unit. He and rookie Oso Ighodaro dominated the pick-and-roll all game long. Also, Morris had some time running the floor with Booker. That sight is one that Suns fans can look to enjoy more of throughout the preseason and into the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Monte Morris teases friendly feud with Devin Booker

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mike-conley-details-monte-morris-trade-changes-timberwolves-offense-better');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mike Conley details how Monte Morris trade changes Timberwolves offense for the better');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mike_Conley_details_how_Monte_Morris_trade_acquisition_changes_Timberwolves_offense_for_the_better.webp"></figure><h1>Mike Conley details how Monte Morris trade changes Timberwolves offense for the better</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-26T17:09:36-08:00">February 26th, 5:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-26T17:09:36-08:00">February 26th, 5:09pm</time><address><a>Sheldon Wohlman</a>Sheldon Wohlman is in his first season as a reporter covering the Minnesota Timberwolves for ClutchPoints. Sheldon eats, sleeps and breathes basketball as he coaches, enjoys playing basketball and covers the NBA on YouTube and Twitter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves went into the 2024 NBA trade deadline with the intention of improving an already great roster. By agreeing to a deal with the Detroit Pistons to acquire guard Monte Morris, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-monte-morris-pistons-trade" rel="noopener">the Timberwolves added a dose</a> of extra playmaking and shooting on the perimeter.</p><p>After his first three games with the team, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-timberwolves-pistons-monte-morris-trade" rel="noopener">Morris was able to</a> ramp up his conditioning and further adjust to playing in Minnesota during the All-Star break. After five games with the team, now is a good time to evaluate the early returns on Morris’ play thus far.</p><h2>Monte Morris’ immediate impact</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Timberwolves_Monte_Morris.webp"><figcaption>Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In his first five games with the Timberwolves, Morris’ minutes have varied quite a bit. The veteran guard logged 18 minutes in his first game with the team and scored five points to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Morris played just 12 minutes in his next contest and shot 0-3 from the field on the second night of a back-to-back. In the final game before the All-Star break, Morris had his best game with the Wolves so far.</p><p>His third game with the team resulted in an impressive 5-8 shooting night as he scored 12 points in just 15 minutes of play. Morris asserted himself into the game with good scoring aggression, something coach Chris Finch has said Minnesota will need from him. Despite getting some time off with the break, Morris’ in-game impact has been mild so far.</p><p>Over his past two games, Morris has scored a total of 10 points and dished out five assists in that stretch. In his first five games, Morris is averaging 5.4 points, 2.4 assists while shooting 44.0% from the floor. Despite small counting stats, the Wolves have gotten key contributions from Morris at times. Most specifically, Morris played a pivotal stretch in a near-comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><h2>The Monte Morris and Mike Conley duo</h2><p>Behind that excellent start to the fourth quarter was the combination of Morris and Mike Conley. The Wolves’ two point guards are both smaller than the NBA standard, but that hasn’t stopped coach Finch from playing them together. Despite mixed results so far, the combination breeds some strong positives that Minnesota needs.</p><p>First of all, having two trustworthy playmakers on the court is a huge benefit for Minnesota. This season, the Timberwolves average the sixth most turnovers in the league, but the infusion of Morris and Conley together will likely limit the giveaways. In addition to improved ball security, Minnesota will likely find an infusion of pace into their offense.</p><p>Two guards capable of pushing the tempo gives their transition offense a few added boosts. First of all, the Wolves will be able to outlet the ball quicker having two outlet options. Following these outlets, the Wolves now have two guards who get on and off the ball quickly.</p><p>When the Minnesota’s offense struggles, typically the ball stops moving. With two playmaking guards sharing the court, it’s much less likely we see the offense turn to a stand-still isolation attack.</p><h2>Conley shares his confidence in Morris</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Timberwolves_Mike_Conley.webp"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Adding Morris to the roster has given Conley and the rest of an offense a boost. The fellow point guard <a href="https://twitter.com/3swohlman/status/1761273238586343835" rel="noopener">is comfortable playing</a> next to the trade acquisition and is confident in Morris’ success, he told ClutchPoints.</p><p>“Between Monte and [Jordan McLaughlin], when we have multiple playmakers, point guards out there, we start, just running and pushing the ball,” Conley said. “As a point guard, you love that. You’ve got other guys who can do what you do, see what you see.”</p><p>In addition to having another player who can run the show, Conley also sees the benefit of the two guards sharing the court.</p><p>“When we’ve got that group out there, we’re just trying to be a team that plays with pace, plays off each other,” Conley continued. “Having Monte, who can pretty much do anything on the court, we’re going to have plenty of runs that get us back in games or push the lead.”</p><p>With Minnesota in contention for the one seed in the Western Conference, Finch will be able to go to Morris as a spark-plug off the bench who is capable of knocking down shots and initiating their offense. The more ball-handlers the better come playoff time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mike Conley details how Monte Morris trade changes Timberwolves offense for the better

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/grading-timberwolves-pistons-monte-morris-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grading Timberwolves-Pistons Monte Morris trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Grading_Timberwolves-Pistons_Monte_Morris_trade.webp"></figure><h1>Grading Timberwolves-Pistons Monte Morris trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-07T15:24:12-08:00">February 7th, 3:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-07T16:01:01-08:00">February 7th, 4:01pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the last legs of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves fortified their ball-handling depth for the season’s stretch run and the Detroit Pistons received draft capital for a veteran who’s not in the team’s long-term plans and is set to become a free agent this summer. Win-win, right?</p><p>Let’s dive into grades for the deal that sent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-monte-morris-pistons-trade" rel="noopener">Monte Morris from Detroit to Minnesota</a> in exchange for a 2030 second-round pick, Shake Milton and Troy Brown on the eve of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.</p><h2><b>Grading Pistons</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6-monty-williams-claims-pistons-are-close-to-winning-lots-of-games-so-when-will-they-actually-win.webp"></figure><p>Acquired over the offseason <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-washington-pulls-off-monte-morris-pistons-trade-after-kyle-kuzma-deal" rel="noopener">from the Washington Wizards</a> for a 2027 second-round pick, Monte Morris was supposed to be an on- and off-court linchpin for the young Pistons in 2023-24 as they took the first step toward respectability under first-year coach Monty Williams. A right-quad injury that caused him to miss the first 43 games of the season never gave Morris the opportunity to find his footing in Detroit. Given the team’s historically putrid start, it’s clear he was never going to be able to provide that type of value for the Pistons in the first place.</p><p>Morris made his season debut on Jan. 24. He played in six games with Detroit, averaging 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.4 minutes off the bench while shooting 36.4 percent overall and going 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.</p><p>An impending free agent, the Pistons’ lack of growth coupled with the team prioritizing the development of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and rookie Marcus Sasser provided writing on the wall for Morris’ plans come July. Cunningham is still earmarked as Detroit’s primary creator of the present and future for now, while both Ivey and Sasser—particularly the former since Williams <i>finally</i> decided to give him more on-ball reps—have shown recent flashes of being able to run the show offensively with or without Cunningham next to them.</p><p>Morris was an obvious trade candidate for Detroit even if there was one year left on his deal. That he’s playing on an expiring contract only made moving Morris at the deadline an even easier decision for Troy Weaver and the front office, especially because Minnesota stands to be a <i>much </i>different team when that second-rounder conveys in 2030 and both Milton and Brown are playing on nonguaranteed contracts next season.</p><p>The problem here isn’t what the Pistons got in return for Morris but the naive initial notion he’d be able to help them level up this season. Even if that Timberwolves second-rounder lands in the early 30s, Detroit would no doubt have been better off simply keeping their own 2027 second-rounder.</p><p><b>Detroit grade: C+</b></p><h2><b>Grading Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/timberwolves-news-minnesota-finalizing-monte-morris-trade-with-pistons.webp"></figure><p>Minnesota’s hole at backup point guard might have been the deepest one likely to be filled by a top-tier contender at the trade deadline. Monte Morris isn’t Minneapolis native Tyus Jones, a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-early-2024-nba-trade-deadline-predictions" rel="noopener">rumored target of the Wolves</a> quietly playing the best ball of his career this season with the Washington Wizards. Considering Minnesota couldn’t meet Washington’s outsized asking price for Jones, though, nabbing Morris for a second-round pick some six years away is probably the best consolation prize Tim Connelly and company could’ve mustered before Thursday afternoon.</p><p>Mike Conley has been a bellwether for the Wolves since he arrived at last year’s trade deadline. They’re 2-3 without him in the lineup this season, two of those losses coming to the lowly San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. Minnesota, unsurprisingly, has been especially anemic offensively when both Conley and budding superstar Anthony Edwards are on the bench, managing a paltry <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612750&amp;Season=2023-24&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=201144,1630162" rel="noopener">103.9 offensive rating</a>, per pbpstats.com.</p><p>Conley will play the lion’s share of postseason minutes at point guard, obviously, but he’s an ever-imminent health risk at 36 years old. Morris’ steady table-setting hand—he’s long been one of the most turnover-averse players in basketball—is an upgrade on reserve point guard Jordan McLaughlin and could be a sizable one if he reverts back to the above-average long-range shooting he enjoyed before getting shipped to Detroit. This deal could still be a win for the Wolves even if Conley remains healthy over the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs, relegating Morris solely to backup minutes.</p><p>But the scenarios it could really make a difference involve Conley missing time over the next few months or being forced to bail on Minnesota in free agency this summer, when the team’s harsh second-apron realities will come into focus. Morris isn’t the Wolves’ long-term answer at point guard next to Edwards but could at least be an effective stopgap for 2024-25, assuming he comes tens of millions cheaper than Conley on the open market.</p><p>Moving off yet another future draft pick, even a second-rounder, was no doubt a tough pill for Minnesota’s front office to swallow. But the chance of Morris helping the Wolves on their quest for a title this season <i>and </i>potentially filling their need for a cheap option at point guard going forward makes that sacrifice well worth it.</p><p><b>Minnesota grade: B+</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grading Timberwolves-Pistons Monte Morris trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/timberwolves-news-monte-morris-pistons-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves finalizing Monte Morris trade with Pistons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/timberwolves-news-minnesota-finalizing-monte-morris-trade-with-pistons.webp"></figure><h1>Timberwolves finalizing Monte Morris trade with Pistons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-07T13:55:17-08:00">February 7th, 1:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-07T14:22:01-08:00">February 7th, 2:22pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons are working towards <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1755343255141523848?s=20" rel="noopener">finalizing</a> a trade that would send veteran point guard Monte Morris to the Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr., and a second-round pick appear to be en route to Detroit as part of this trade. The <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1755346758572323221?s=20" rel="noopener">second-round pick</a> going to Detroit is in 2030, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 The Pistons are finalizing a deal to send Monte Morris to the Timberwolves, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a>. <a href="https://t.co/6ygwwZLcH4">pic.twitter.com/6ygwwZLcH4</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1755344006077100110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Morris, 28, had emerged as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-pistons-monte-morris-trade-interest-timberwolves" rel="noopener">serious trade option</a> for the Timberwolves in recent days due to the team’s need to find reliable play behind Mike Conley Jr. Currently 35-16 on the season, Minnesota finds themselves in a four-way tie for first place in the Western Conference.</p><p>Both Milton and Brown had become afterthoughts for the Timberwolves after the team signed them this offseason. Due to their contending status in the West, Minnesota has decided to dump these contracts in favor of a contributing veteran, whose salary will provide financial relief in the offseason.</p><p>Recently making his debut in a Pistons uniform after missing the first three months of the 2023-24 season due to a right quadriceps injury, Morris now heads to a playoff-caliber team before hitting unrestricted free agency in the summer.</p><p>In the six games he has played in Detroit, Morris has averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor. Morris has always been known for his reliable play at the point guard position, as he has posted a career 4.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the span of his seven seasons in the NBA, the veteran guard has averaged 10.4 points and 4.0 assists per game.</p><p>For the Pistons, Morris was expected to be moved before the trade deadline due to the fact that he is on an expiring $9.8 million contract. This trade comes just hours after Detroit <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pistons-acquire-simone-fontecchio-from-jazz-nba-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">acquired Simone Fontecchio</a> from the Utah Jazz. With Morris gone, the Pistons have opened up more minutes for their young backcourt, consisting of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and rookie Marcus Sasser.</p><p>A total of 16 players now reside on the Pistons’ roster after acquiring Milton and Brown for Morris, likely signaling further moves coming from Detroit ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Thursday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves finalizing Monte Morris trade with Pistons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-pistons-monte-morris-trade-interest-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Pistons’ Monte Morris drawing serious trade interest from Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_Pistons__Monte_Morris_drawing_serious_trade_interest_from_Timberwolves.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Pistons’ Monte Morris drawing serious trade interest from Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T07:42:41-08:00">February 5th, 7:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T15:46:02-08:00">February 5th, 3:46pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Trade Deadline is a few days away and rumors are starting to circulate more than before. The Detroit Pistons, who had a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/where-pistons-sit-on-nbas-longest-losing-streak-list" rel="noopener">record losing streak earlier</a> in the season, are viewed as a team willing to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pistons-trade-targets-early-in-2023-24-nba-season" rel="noopener">sell multiple pieces</a>. One player whose name has come up is Monte Morris, and he is reportedly <a href="https://theathletic.com/5248955/2024/02/05/pistons-trade-deadline-nba-zach-lavine-tobias-harris/" rel="noopener">drawing serious interest</a> from the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of the deadline, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.</p><p>“On a smaller scale, rival teams continue to be interested in Pistons guard Monté Morris, per league sources. The Timberwolves are one of the teams with the most interest. Minnesota, per league sources, tried to trade for Morris when he was in Washington prior to Detroit. The Pistons, though, also value what Morris brings to the table as a veteran guard who takes care of the ball and can shoot. Morris just returned from injuries that forced him to miss the first 43 games of the season.”</p><p>Morris has played a minimal role with the Pistons this season after spending last year with the Washington Wizards. He has played in just six games this season and is averaging just 4.5 points per game. With the Pistons having the worst record in the NBA, it makes sense for them to explore the market and see if they can get an asset of some sort in return.</p><p>The Timberwolves reportedly kicked the tires on a Morris trade previously, and adding a veteran guard would be a big boost to the team. However, as Edwards mentions, the Pistons could decide to hold, especially with Morris just now returning after missing more than 40 games due to an injury.</p><p>Nonetheless, Monte Morris is one name to keep an eye on ahead of the deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.1	1.5	1.7	0.1	0.4

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.1	1.5	1.7	0.1	0.4

Monté Morris

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