Knicks sign Marcus Morris to Exhibit 9 contract as veteran forward returns to New York

Marcus Morris is back in New York. The Knicks announced Sunday evening that they signed the veteran forward to an Exhibit 9 contract.

Morris, 35, spent most of the 2019-20 season with the Knicks. In 43 games, he averaged a career-best 19.6 points while adding 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 32.3 minutes.

New York dealt Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade Feb. 6, 2020, that netted forward Maurice Harkless. The move also sent a 2020 first-round pick to the Knicks and swap rights to the Clippers’ 2021 first-rounder and a 2021 second-rounder via the Detroit Pistons.

Most recently, Morris split the 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes over 49 games (seven starts).

Shortly after the Knicks announced the Morris deal, SNY’s Ian Begley reported that “he’s viewed by NYK as a stretch 4/5 at this point in his career” and “has a real chance to make” the roster for the regular season.

As SNY’s David Vertsberger recently wrote, whether or not New York has enough depth has been a looming question for the season.