Detroit Pistons sign Markieff Morris to two-year, $7.4 million contract

The Detroit Pistons added frontcourt depth as they signed power forward Markieff Morris to a two-year, $7.4 million contract. How will this help the team?

The Detroit Pistons have made another pebble splash into the pond of one of the best free agency groups in recent memory. The team has agreed to terms with free-agent power forward Markieff Morris. According to The Athletic’s James Edwards III, Morris’s deal uses the bi-annual exception. Essentially, this means he signed a two-year deal worth roughly $3.6 million a year.

Morris spent last season with the Washington Wizards until he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, who promptly cut him. This paved the way for Morris to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he didn’t really have much of an impact. It’s fair to point out that he had a few nagging injuries all of last season that limited him to 58 games.

With career shooting marks of .45/.34/.78, Morris will look to join Derrick Rose and Langston Galloway on the second unit. Prior to last season, Morris enjoyed some success on the Phoenix Suns, where is was a candidate for both Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year in the 2013-2014 season.

What does this signing do for the Pistons? For one, it adds frontcourt depth that was lacking. Outside of Thon Maker and Blake Griffin, the team had no other power forward on the roster. And the lone center is Andre Drummond.

At 6’10”, Morris is a definite upgrade over last season’s backup center Zaza Pachulia. Plus, as Detroit News’s Rod Beard points out, if Morris ever starts, he, Griffin and Drummond all stand at 6’10” or taller. The Philadelphia 76ers will look to start Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Al Horford, who are all 6’9″ or taller. Maybe some height isn’t too bad after all? (I guess good shooting doesn’t matter as long as you have tall people to block all the shots the opposing team takes.)

Additionally, it could be positive that Morris brings somewhat of an aggressive background to the team. However, I’m not talking full-blown Bad Boys aggression. Morris finished last season with eight technical fouls in 58 games. His new teammates Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin finished with 14 apiece, good enough for fifth-most in the league. The year prior, Morris finished with 13, the sixth-most in the league. Not to mention his last game with the Suns resulted in a shoving match between himself and teammate Archie Goodwin.

What can be expected from Morris this upcoming season? Technical fouls and some okay play. And potentially some irritation. This addition won’t move the needle one way or another. Was this a good signing? Yes? No? For that price tag, the signing is a good one. The benefit is that Morris adds frontcourt depth that was lacking last season.

While he isn’t the same player he was when he was with the Suns or his early tenure with the Wizards, Morris does come with quite a few years of experience in the league which could prove to be valuable. When you have a little spending money as the Pistons this offseason, signings like this might not always look the prettiest, but they can still get the job done.

Pistons fans might be familiar with Morris’s twin brother, Marcus Morris, who was a member of the team from 2015-2017. At least the team has become the second-ever to have both the Morris twins wear their jerseys.