Wednesday’s flurry of pre-deadline trade activity involving veteran role players continued as the Pistons got involved with their second trade of the day, this time sending veteran point guard Monte Morris to Minnesota, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. In exchange, the Pistons will bring back Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and a second round pick.
Timberwolves are sending Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and one second-round pick to Detroit for Monte Morris, sources said. https://t.co/sb12v2N1gk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2024
Morris just recently returned to the court for the Pistons after missing the first half of the season with a quad injury. He’s played in six games for Detroit, averaging 4.5 points in 11.3 minutes of action as he ramps back up to playing speed. The Timberwolves will be banking on Morris returning to the productivity he showed in Washington and Denver, where he established himself as a steady-handed backup point guard with a reliable three-point shot.
If he returns to that level with the Wolves, they will have bolstered their point guard rotation with some veteran depth (with playoff experience) behind Mike Conley. Milton and Brown were picked up by the Wolves this offseason to provide some backcourt depth, but never fully cracked Chris Finch’s rotation as key contributors. By sending both out to bring in Morris, Minnesota will hope they can consolidate some talent into a player they’ll trust with postseason minutes as they look to make a deep run in the West this year.
Detroit, meanwhile, gets another second round pick back for a veteran on the roster and adds another couple of younger players with floor-spacing upside.