Marcus Morris Sr. and Chuma Okeke, two forwards, have been dismissed by the New York Knicks, the organization said on Saturday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, a four-time All-Star, was reportedly acquired by the Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade on Friday night, according to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Detroit Pistons sent Towns to the Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a future first-round pick.
The Knicks had to clear roster spaces before waiving Morris and Okeke in order to finalize the transaction, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
As per Katz, this transaction enables New York to sign DaQuan Jeffries and then trade him forward to the Charlotte Hornets. Charania and Krawczynski said on Friday that Jeffries and “draft compensation” from the Knicks are part of the deal, which includes the Hornets as a third team.
On August 1, Okeke signed a deal with New York under Exhibit 10. During his 2023–24 season, the 26-year-old played in 47 games for the Orlando Magic, averaging 9.2 minutes per game with 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds.
Less than two months later, Morris was added by the Knicks, who signed him to an Exhibit 9 deal. Sharpshooter Landry Shamet also received an invitation to training camp on the same day, therefore the contract acted as a kind of invitation to training camp. Shamet now has a good chance of making New York’s regular-season roster after the experienced swingman was dismissed.
Morris spent the previous season playing 49 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers. On 43.9/40.3/81.8 shooting splits, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
Leon Rose, the team president, has been quite busy over the last year, as the Knicks’ anticipated rotation appears to be very different from the team’s 2023–24 schedule. Only three of the nine players who started New York’s 2023 season against the Boston Celtics are still with the team.
Both Morris and Okeke are back on the free agency market as training camps begin on Tuesday.
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