Marcus Morris landed with the New York Knicks this week following a bizarre turn of events, which has led to a parting of ways between him and his agent.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported early Sunday morning that Morris and agent Rich Paul have mutually agreed to part ways. The split comes after Morris verbally agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs but backed out to sign with the Knicks for one year and $15 million. Morris also reportedly turned down a $41 million offer from the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the Spurs agreement.
As Bondy notes, the Knicks made a late offer because they had unexpected salary cap space when free agent Reggie Bullock had an issue with his physical. The Knicks are still signing Bullock, but they’re reworking his contract to pay him less.
Bondy initially reported that Morris had fired Paul, but he later clarified that it was a “mutual” parting of ways.
Received clarification that the Marcus Morris-Rich Paul separation was mutual in the wake of his free agency. Also, Noel remains with Klutch. https://t.co/6TmQs0211M
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) July 14, 2019
It’s unclear what exactly unfolded. Did Paul encourage Morris to turn down the Clippers offer in hopes of something more? Did Morris not want to take the Clippers deal and that bothered Paul? Did Morris feel Paul steered him towards the Spurs and away from the Knicks? Was Paul upset that Morris backed out on San Antonio and wanted to split because of a matter of professionalism? Any number of things could have happened.
We do know that in the end Morris got $15 million for one year, which is good money. We also know that Paul has become a massive influence in the NBA with his high-profile clients. Losing business probably isn’t something he’s used to.
