The Los Angeles Clippers are currently in the middle of a whirlwind 2022-23 campaign. Their uneven play has confused fans regarding how to feel about the team's chances of contending for an elusive championship. Kawhi Leonard appears to be back to his usual superstar exploits, and Paul George has been doing Paul George things, but they have remained unable to separate themselves from the pack.
For a team many touted as legitimate contenders, having a 31-27 record at this point in the season is far from a convincing case that the Clippers truly have enough to make some noise come postseason time. As scary as their team was on paper, injury woes, inconsistencies, and a few puzzling errors in on-court decision making have, all in all, added up to a less-than-stellar season for a team with championship hopes.
Thus, it didn't come as a surprise when the Clippers stood out as one of the busiest teams before the 2023 NBA trade deadline. They dealt away John Wall (someone who has looked washed up), Luke Kennard, and Reggie Jackson (the beloved Big Government who bailed them out plenty of times before) in exchange for Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, and Bones Hyland.
While it's difficult to envision those three additions being needle-movers on their own, it's also hard to see how the Clippers didn't get better following their busy NBA trade deadline. Gordon is a battle-tested veteran who should provide the Clips with more dynamic on-ball play than Kennard, Plumlee is the backup big the Clips so desperately need, and Hyland gives them a much-needed injection of youthful energy.
It's quite unfair to be too hard on the Clippers following a productive trading day. Even then, they still may have missed an opportunity to trade away a piece who could soon find himself on the margins of usage in a crowded Clippers rotation.
Clippers 2023 NBA trade deadline mistake: Failing to trade away Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris Sr. has done nothing but contribute positively to the Clippers' cause ever since they acquired him from the New York Knicks in 2020. (Just don't remind fans of the time he pissed off Paul Millsap, which proved to be the turning point in the Denver Nuggets' 3-1 comeback against them in 2020.) Alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Morris has served as a reliable floor spacer; for his Clippers career, he is shooting 39.9 percent from deep.
Moreover, he could also attack mismatches both off the bounce and on the post. Clippers fans know how familiar a sight it is to see Sr. drain a leaning fadeaway from midrange with the shot clock winding down.
With Leonard and George missing their fair share of games, Morris' value to the Clippers becomes even more pronounced. When Leonard went down with a knee injury during the 2021 postseason, it was Morris (along with Reggie Jackson) who primarily helped George shoulder the heavy offensive burden for LA.
However, as the Clippers roster evolved around him, it seems like they now have other younger options who could play his role on offense, which makes him a superfluous piece.
Norman Powell has basically emerged as the Clippers' third offensive option, and with the addition of Eric Gordon, the Clippers' use for Marcus Morris' skillset drops even further.
Sure, Morris is a 6'8 forward who gives the Clips some size on defense. But his foot speed is declining and he doesn't really add any rim protection. To top it all off, he has a tendency to stop the ball on offense.
Once the games truly start to matter (i.e. the postseason), it's easy to envision head coach Tyronn Lue rolling with Nicolas Batum in crunch time and even Robert Covington against tough opposition, such as the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, over Morris. With Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Norman Powell commandeering the offense, the Clippers will need players that move the ball, move without the ball, and do the dirty work.
At the end of the day, it has to be said, again, that the Clippers did not do poorly at all prior to the NBA trade deadline. Of course, it may have been too much of an overhaul if they decided to trade away Morris, a piece who has been a crucial part of their identity over the past few years. Morris also provides the Clippers the versatility they clearly value.
Morris' midsized contract could have netted the Clippers an upgrade at the point guard position, so calling their failure to trade him away centers more on the opportunity cost of holding onto the veteran forward.
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