Before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Marcus Morris approached the New York Knicks' front office and lobbied for point guard Dennis Smith Jr. to get more playing time, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

The Knicks acquired Smith from the Dallas Mavericks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but he hasn't produced like New York envisioned he would.

However, Morris wanted to look out for the youngster:

Dennis Smith Jr. lost an influential advocate when Marcus Morris was traded.

In the midst of a difficult and disappointing season, Smith Jr. found himself completely out of the rotation and accumulating DNPs. According to multiple sources, Morris approached the front office and lobbied for Smith Jr. to get more playing time. It resulted in more opportunities for Smith Jr., who during a stretch of six games between January and February, was back in the mix and averaging 18 minutes. That immediately followed consecutive DNPs for Smith Jr., who declined to comment about Morris’ gesture but expressed fondness for a friend.

Smith has appeared in 30 games for the Knicks this season. He's averaging 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 34.1 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from beyond the arc and 47.8 percent from the free-throw line.

The Knicks are 17-38 on the season. They are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings and will likely miss the playoffs again.