Report: Sixers Showing Interest in Marcus Morris
The reeling Sixers will look to get back on track tonight at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, after a 0-4 road trip that brought up questions about leadership and accountability.
The Sixers could look to add some pieces to try and help gear for a move up the Eastern Conference standings, where they currently sit as the fifth seed, nine games behind Milwaukee.
"Losing four in a row sucks, and it doesn't feel like we're getting better," Joel Embiid said after the Sixers most recent loss in Houston.
So are they looking to get better?
According to Marc Berman at the New York Post, the Sixers, along with the LA Clippers have interest in current Knicks forward Marcus Morris.
According to a source, the 76ers also have some interest in Morris as a solid two-way forward bench piece. Morris’ hometown team is on a championship-or-bust mission. Perhaps that would pique Morris’ interest more than L.A.
Morris is a North Philadelphia native, has playoff experience and a expiring $15 million contract making him an attractive addition for the Sixers.
He's having maybe his best season of his career, averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game, hitting on almost 47-percent of his 3-point shots.
So what would it take the Sixers to get the 30-year old forward away from the Knicks and do the Knicks even want to trade him?
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, "Marcus Morris has expressed publicly and privately his desire to stay loyal with the Knicks, and the team is said to prefer to keep him."
As for compensation, the Sixers do not have a first-round pick in this years draft, but do have four second-round picks they could use.
The Sixers know Morris well from his recent two-year stint with the Boston Celtics, and have could pick Al Horford's brain on him, regarding how Morris might fit with the current Sixers roster.
A second report from Tom MacMahon of ESPN suggests that the Sixers will look to add more perimeter help with floor spacing continuing to be an issue, another thing Embiid discussed after the loss on Friday.
The Sixers' poor spacing is of particular concern, especially for Embiid. Sources say the Sixers will search the trade market for perimeter shooting threats with playmaking ability, a need that was apparent as Philadelphia went 6-of-27 from 3-point range Friday night.
"The way I'm being guarded, I'm being doubled every time I have the ball and everybody crowds the paint, so it's kind of hard to just move the ball and just keep it moving and find ways to score," Embiid explained.
Should be an interesting time for Sixers GM Elton Brand. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 6th at 3pm.