Marcus Morris Fires Rich Paul, Klutch Sports

[DPG21920]

DeAndre Jordan royally ed the Mavs, and still they signed him after a few years. And that was way worse than what Morris did.

The Mavs traded a player on Jordan’s word? I didn’t know that.

[cd98]

The Mavs traded a player on Jordan’s word? I didn’t know that.

I would say that the Jordan move didn't cost the Mavs in terms of trading a player, but it was a public rejection that really damaged their reputation. I mean, Mark Cuban, Billionaire, driving the streets of Houston trying to find Jordan while he's huddled up in a house and the Clippers are standing guard. And then Mark tries to come see him and they won't let him in. It's comical.

Morris just got a call with $5 million more on the table. He went with the money and the contract that could allow him to get more money in the future. I don't think him rejecting the Spurs was about anything other than the money.

[DPG21920]

I would say that the Jordan move didn't cost the Mavs in terms of trading a player, but it was a public rejection that really damaged their reputation. I mean, Mark Cuban, Billionaire, driving the streets of Houston trying to find Jordan while he's huddled up in a house and the Clippers are standing guard. And then Mark tries to come see him and they won't let him in. It's comical.

Morris just got a call with $5 million more on the table. He went with the money and the contract that could allow him to get more money in the future. I don't think him rejecting the Spurs was about anything other than the money.

Sure, but the reason it’s way worse for sa is because the lost a positive asset based on this. It’s literally unprecedented.

Whether it was about the money or not is not the relevant part here; it’s that SA traded a player based on his word. So intent aside, it’s a horrific thing to do.

[GreekSpursfan]

Sure, but the reason it’s way worse for sa is because the lost a positive asset based on this. It’s literally unprecedented.

Whether it was about the money or not is not the relevant part here; it’s that SA traded a player based on his word. So intent aside, it’s a horrific thing to do.

I usually defend Spurs FO about most of their decisions but i can't do it in this case. They messed up period. Someones word means nothing in the business world, they should've had Morris's signature and then proceed to do what they did. Unless they had already decided that they were done with the Latvian laser and i'm leaning towards that tbh.

[DPG21920]

I usually defend Spurs FO about most of their decisions but i can't do it in this case. They messed up period. A word means nothing in the business world, they should've had Morris's signature and then proceed to do what they did. Unless they had already decided that they were done with the Latvian laser.

That is defensible for sure; but since that had literally never happened in the NBA that I can ever remember I find it hard for them to be at fault. But at the end of the day the result falls on them.

[GreekSpursfan]

That is defensible for sure; but since that had literally never happened in the NBA that I can ever remember I find it hard for them to be at fault. But at the end of the day the result falls on them.

Something tells me that they would part ways with Davis anyway and i'm leaning towards that.

[ZeusWillJudge]

I usually defend Spurs FO about most of their decisions but i can't do it in this case. They messed up period. A word means nothing in the business world, they should've had Morris's signature and then proceed to do what they did. Unless they had already decided that they were done with the Latvian laser and i'm leaning towards that tbh.

LMAO. How can one guy so consistently have such bad takes?

They HAD to negotiate with Morris first, because otherwise they would have had to get rid of Bertans blindly, and HOPE they could negotiate someone to replace him. Even you should be able to understand how that approach couldn't work - for the Spurs or anyone else. So they reach a deal with Morris, but then they HAVE to work out a deal to free up the space to pay for him.

So tell us how YOU would have done the deal differently.

That is defensible for sure; but since that had literally never happened in the NBA that I can ever remember I find it hard for them to be at fault. But at the end of the day the result falls on them.

No, no, no. Don't let him off the hook that easy. The Spurs COULDN'T sign a contract with Morris, because they didn't have cap space to make that contract. They can't do something they aren't allowed to do. The only way to do it was to reach a verbal with Morris and then make the Bertans trade. It's the way business has to be done under the current rules.

It's not a contract unless it's binding, and it's not binding unless it's a contract. And they couldn't make a contract without cap space.

[DPG21920]

LMAO. How can one guy so consistently have such bad takes?

They HAD to negotiate with Morris first, because otherwise they would have had to get rid of Bertans blindly, and HOPE they could negotiate someone to replace him. Even you should be able to understand how that approach couldn't work - for the Spurs or anyone else. So they reach a deal with Morris, but then they HAVE to work out a deal to free up the space to pay for him.

So tell us how YOU would have done the deal differently.

No, no, no. Don't let him off the hook that easy. The Spurs COULDN'T sign a contract with Morris, because they didn't have cap space to make that contract. They can't do something they aren't allowed to do. The only way to do it was to reach a verbal with Morris and then make the Bertans trade. It's the way business has to be done under the current rules.

It's not a contract unless it's binding, and it's not binding unless it's a contract. And they couldn't make a contract without cap space.

I mean, you know how I feel about it, but technically, SA could have come to that verbal agreement but said to Morris we are not making that trade until the day of. Still would have worked, would have required Morris to be ok with trusting SA that they could make the move no questions asked as promised, but would have helped Sa avoid this.

[GreekSpursfan]

LMAO. How can one guy so consistently have such bad takes?

They HAD to negotiate with Morris first, because otherwise they would have had to get rid of Bertans blindly, and HOPE they could negotiate someone to replace him. Even you should be able to understand how that approach couldn't work - for the Spurs or anyone else. So they reach a deal with Morris, but then they HAVE to work out a deal to free up the space to pay for him.

So tell us how YOU would have done the deal differently.

ITS THEIR JOB, wake the f.up. All i'm saying is that you dont do business with someones word and then when you get ed you go out and cry about it. Its pretty obvious that business is not your thing. They have competent people, they should've found a way to not get screwed over and thats on them. Morris hadn't sign anything, if i was Morris i would take the knicks job as well.

[DPG21920]

ITS THEIR JOB, wake the f.up. All i'm saying is that you dont do business with someones word and then when you get ed you go out and cry about it. Its pretty obvious that business is not your thing. They have competent people, they should've found a way to not get screwed over and thats on them. Morris hadn't sign anything, if i was Morris i would take the knicks job as well.

Well Morris is not just stupid for taking the Knicks job based on etiquette, but the money difference is very little, the basketball and opportunity is way worse and he now damaged his reputation for next off season.

Its’ a very poor decision by Morris honestly considering the money after taxes difference is not that much.

[Seventyniner]

No, no, no. Don't let him off the hook that easy. The Spurs COULDN'T sign a contract with Morris, because they didn't have cap space to make that contract. They can't do something they aren't allowed to do. The only way to do it was to reach a verbal with Morris and then make the Bertans trade. It's the way business has to be done under the current rules.

It's not a contract unless it's binding, and it's not binding unless it's a contract. And they couldn't make a contract without cap space.

I don't think this is correct. The Spurs offered Morris the full non-taxpayer MLE (which doesn't use cap space), and the Spurs knew all along they would have that to work with because they were operating over the cap but under the tax. The Spurs would have been able to use the MLE regardless of if Bertans was traded. The point of the Bertans trade was to get Carroll without having to use the MLE on him so they could give the MLE to Morris.

IIRC the original Carroll deal was to give him his money out of the MLE. The "trade" was an attempt to get Morris instead of Bertans; the Spurs were going to get Carroll no matter what.

[ZeusWillJudge]

I mean, you know how I feel about it, but technically, SA could have come to that verbal agreement but said to Morris we are not making that trade until the day of. Still would have worked, would have required Morris to be ok with trusting SA that they could make the move no questions asked as promised, but would have helped Sa avoid this.

Yeah, but that treats the Wiz like cardboard cutouts. They're also sitting there trying to make deals and get their roster filled out, while the FA pool shrinks. I've probably read a half dozen articles and blogs about how the deals all happened lightning fast this season. The Wiz aren't going to sit on a Davis Bertans deal while all the details and contract details are hammered out.

And remember, the Spurs had announced the Carroll deal a week earlier. That wound up being a three team deal that included the Bertans move. A lot of dominos had to fall in order to get the offseason to work out under the cap and exceptions. Under the current rules, that means verbal commitments. It's nice to talk about not having a deal until all the contracts are signed, but the league can't work that way under the current rules. What you guys are proposing is that a guy like Morris gets told, "We probably have a deal. You sit there and wait, until all the dominos fall. But if we can't work this other out, you don't really have a deal." A player could lose his ass on a deal like that. The verbal commitments benefit the players just as much as the teams.

No... Morris trusted that he would get his $2/20M the minute he had a commitment from the Spurs. He couldn't sit there watching the FA money dry up otherwise.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...m-14076337.php

[ZeusWillJudge]

ITS THEIR JOB, wake the f.up. All i'm saying is that you dont do business with someones word and then when you get ed you go out and cry about it. Its pretty obvious that business is not your thing. They have competent people, they should've found a way to not get screwed over and thats on them. Morris hadn't sign anything, if i was Morris i would take the knicks job as well.

And what you're not getting is that's the way the rules of the CBA are currently set up. The way to keep from getting screwed is to play under a different set of rules - but that's not really up to them at this point.

Don't you get it? Morris CAN'T sign anything binding at that point. Something binding is a "contract". And the Spurs didn't have cap space to give him one. It's a ed up system, because teams and player are absolutely forced to make deals based on these verbal agreements. It's the way the whole league runs. But it leaves the ability for things like this to happen. Nearly every year somebody gets screwed by this system. That wouldn't keep happening if there was a way around it. But there is no way around it, because it's baked into the system.

[Ocotillo]

My recollection of the Deandre Jordan standing up the Mavs was not that Dallas traded away an asset like the Spurs did but they were harmed in that other free agents committed to other teams that they missed out on thinking Jordan was coming. They had lost opportunity.

[DPG21920]

My recollection of the Deandre Jordan standing up the Mavs was not that Dallas traded away an asset like the Spurs did but they were harmed in that other free agents committed to other teams that they missed out on thinking Jordan was coming. They had lost opportunity.

Absolutely - what Jordan did was bs too; it’s just that it’s next level what Morris did.

[spurraider21]

Nobody cares. It's a business move. Franchises that can't play at that level shouldn't be in the NBA.

clearly

maybe you don't