Point guard Monte Morris reportedly to sign with Phoenix Suns.
Monte Morris expects to sign a veteran’s minimum contract with the Phoenix Suns, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania. It fills a need at point guard that was widely regarded as the biggest missing piece of the 2023-24 team.
The Suns were limited to signing players on minimum deals due to second-apron restrictions placed on them by the NBA salary cap rules.
Morris last season played six games for the Detroit Pistons and then 27 for the Minnesota Timberwolves but never cemented a spot in the T-Wolves’ playoff rotation.
He averaged 5.1 points and 2.3 assists in 15.1 minutes per game with Minnesota.
In 2022-23, Morris played significant minutes for a struggling Washington Wizards team alongside current Suns guard Bradley Beal, averaging 10.3 points and 5.3 assists over 27.4 minutes per game. He spent his first five years developing into a reliable rotation player for the Denver Nuggets, and Morris started 74 games there in 2021-22.
The point guard is notably a career 39.1% three-point shooter who can playmake while limiting turnovers.
Why did the Suns target a point guard in NBA free agency?
The Suns were without a traditional point guard last season. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal served as the Suns’ floor generals more times than not, while starter Grayson Allen was often left to defend the opposing point guards.
NBA veteran Isaiah Thomas was brought in late for a seven-game run that included a playoff appearance, though he didn’t break into the rotation. Two-way guard Saben Lee occasionally played a role off the bench, though not a consistent one.
While the Suns struggled for a variety of different reasons across an underachieving 2023-24 campaign, a large amount of the conversation both during and after the season swirled around point guard. Former head coach Frank Vogel, general manager James Jones and new head coach Mike Budenholzer were asked numerous times about the missing component.
