The Minnesota Timberwolves fortified their ball-handling depth for the season's stretch run and the Detroit Pistons received draft capital for a veteran who's not in the team's long-term plans and is set to become a free agent this summer. Win-win, right?
Let's dive into grades for the deal that sent Monte Morris from Detroit to Minnesota in exchange for a 2030 second-round pick, Shake Milton and Troy Brown on the eve of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Grading Pistons
Acquired over the offseason from the Washington Wizards for a 2027 second-round pick, Monte Morris was supposed to be an on- and off-court linchpin for the young Pistons in 2023-24 as they took the first step toward respectability under first-year coach Monty Williams. A right-quad injury that caused him to miss the first 43 games of the season never gave Morris the opportunity to find his footing in Detroit. Given the team's historically putrid start, it's clear he was never going to be able to provide that type of value for the Pistons in the first place.
Morris made his season debut on Jan. 24. He played in six games with Detroit, averaging 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.4 minutes off the bench while shooting 36.4 percent overall and going 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.
An impending free agent, the Pistons' lack of growth coupled with the team prioritizing the development of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and rookie Marcus Sasser provided writing on the wall for Morris' plans come July. Cunningham is still earmarked as Detroit's primary creator of the present and future for now, while both Ivey and Sasser—particularly the former since Williams finally decided to give him more on-ball reps—have shown recent flashes of being able to run the show offensively with or without Cunningham next to them.
Morris was an obvious trade candidate for Detroit even if there was one year left on his deal. That he's playing on an expiring contract only made moving Morris at the deadline an even easier decision for Troy Weaver and the front office, especially because Minnesota stands to be a much different team when that second-rounder conveys in 2030 and both Milton and Brown are playing on nonguaranteed contracts next season.
The problem here isn't what the Pistons got in return for Morris but the naive initial notion he'd be able to help them level up this season. Even if that Timberwolves second-rounder lands in the early 30s, Detroit would no doubt have been better off simply keeping their own 2027 second-rounder.
Detroit grade: C+
Grading Timberwolves
Minnesota's hole at backup point guard might have been the deepest one likely to be filled by a top-tier contender at the trade deadline. Monte Morris isn't Minneapolis native Tyus Jones, a rumored target of the Wolves quietly playing the best ball of his career this season with the Washington Wizards. Considering Minnesota couldn't meet Washington's outsized asking price for Jones, though, nabbing Morris for a second-round pick some six years away is probably the best consolation prize Tim Connelly and company could've mustered before Thursday afternoon.
Mike Conley has been a bellwether for the Wolves since he arrived at last year's trade deadline. They're 2-3 without him in the lineup this season, two of those losses coming to the lowly San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. Minnesota, unsurprisingly, has been especially anemic offensively when both Conley and budding superstar Anthony Edwards are on the bench, managing a paltry 103.9 offensive rating, per pbpstats.com.
Conley will play the lion's share of postseason minutes at point guard, obviously, but he's an ever-imminent health risk at 36 years old. Morris' steady table-setting hand—he's long been one of the most turnover-averse players in basketball—is an upgrade on reserve point guard Jordan McLaughlin and could be a sizable one if he reverts back to the above-average long-range shooting he enjoyed before getting shipped to Detroit. This deal could still be a win for the Wolves even if Conley remains healthy over the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs, relegating Morris solely to backup minutes.
But the scenarios it could really make a difference involve Conley missing time over the next few months or being forced to bail on Minnesota in free agency this summer, when the team's harsh second-apron realities will come into focus. Morris isn't the Wolves' long-term answer at point guard next to Edwards but could at least be an effective stopgap for 2024-25, assuming he comes tens of millions cheaper than Conley on the open market.
Moving off yet another future draft pick, even a second-rounder, was no doubt a tough pill for Minnesota's front office to swallow. But the chance of Morris helping the Wolves on their quest for a title this season and potentially filling their need for a cheap option at point guard going forward makes that sacrifice well worth it.
Minnesota grade: B+
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