After initially coming to an agreement with free agent Marcus Morris, the San Antonio Spurs have reopened their agreement with Morris and will now sign former Denver Nuggets forward Trey Lyles, according to ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Lyles is finalizing terms on a two-year deal with Spurs, league source tells ESPN. https://t.co/ItulNCc1dn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2019
The Spurs had traded forward Davis Bertans in order to open up the midlevel exception so as to sign Morris to a two-year, $20 million deal. But Morris began to reconsider his decision after the Knicks reportedly offered him a one-year deal worth $15 million.
Rather than forcing Morris into a situation that he longer wanted any part of, the Spurs pivoted to sign Lyles, who had his qualifying offer revoked by the Nuggets just one day before Morris began to express a desire to reopen his agreement.
Lyles was very effective for the Nuggets last season, posting 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in just over 17 minutes per game. He also has shown an ability to spread the floor and play as a stretch four, as evidenced by his 38.1 percent clip from beyond the arc during the 2017-18 season.
Although Lyles has shown the potential to be a starter in the NBA, he was blocked on a Denver team that already had Paul Millsap at the four spot while having depth pieces like Juan Hernangomez, who also saw more minutes than Lyles.
Spurs head coach Greg Popovich has a knack for developing young talent. And with LaMarcus Aldridge's ability to play both the four and the center position, Lyles should have an opportunity to play more minutes for a team that still hopes to be competitive in the Western Conference next season.
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