The L.A. Clippers were rumored to make a move to acquire forward Marcus Morris this summer, a rumor with plenty of layers to it. According to Frank Isola of The Athletic, the hoopla of Morris' agent Rich Paul not wanting to help the Clippers land him by keeping him unaware of the $41 million offer is rather false.
“It had been rumored Morris’ then-agent, Rich Paul, never told his client about the Clippers offer, which, if proven true, could get the agent decertified. The theory was that Paul, whose No. 1 client is Lakers superstar LeBron James, did not want to help the rival Clippers land Morris. It made for a juicy story, but ultimately, it was false. The Clippers, according to a team source, said Morris was aware of the deal. Paul then negotiated the contract with the Spurs, but once Morris reneged on the deal, Paul and Morris parted ways.”
This detail only makes Morris look poorly, as he walked back a two-year, $20 million commitment with the San Antonio Spurs only to agree to a one-year, $15 million with the New York Knicks, who had opened up more cap space as a result of a re-worked deal with shooting guard Reggie Bullock.
Perhaps his decision to re-think the deal would have been understandable if he indeed took a three-year, $41 million deal from the Clippers — but taking a one-and-out, from the Knicks of all teams, left a bad taste in the Spurs' mouths.
Walking back a contract agreement, no matter the terms, is an unsavory bit and rather frowned upon in league circles. It's likely Paul did not want his reputation to be involved with Morris and the two parted ways shortly after he shook hands with Knicks brass.
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