Marcus Morris Sr. finds new home with Cleveland Cavaliers, but has ‘no ill will’ toward hometown Sixers

"They actually did me a favor by bringing me home, giving me an opportunity to check off something on my bucket list," Morris, now with Cleveland, said Friday.

by Gina Mizell

Published Mar. 30, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET

CLEVELAND — When the Cavaliers’ film session following a loss at the lowly Charlotte Hornets morphed into a candid discussion, Marcus Morris Sr. spoke up.

Though he had been on that roster for less than two weeks, Morris understood his veteran wisdom and no-nonsense approach in such moments was precisely why he had been brought to Cleveland for the stretch run. So he stressed the importance of attacking each remaining regular-season game with playoff intensity, which begins “the second you open your eyes that day.”

More importantly, Morris’ new teammates have instantly embraced his presence, making the 13-year forward feel like he has been a Cavalier for much longer. He has parlayed a 10-day contract into a deal for the rest of the season, which led to totaling three points and five rebounds in Friday’s victory over the 76ers.

Still, the veteran from Hunting Park feels no “ill will” toward his hometown team after the Sixers acquired Morris in the early-season James Harden blockbuster trade and then dealt him to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a roster revamp at the February deadline.

“I built a really good relationship with those guys,” Morris said of the Sixers. “A lot of good things happened for me and my family while I was there. … They actually did me a favor by bringing me home, giving me an opportunity to check off something on my bucket list.

“I’m happy for them. Still watch them. I still connect with those guys. And I’m rooting for them — just not against us.”

Among the memorable moments from Morris’ three-month stint in Philly were being introduced last in the Sixers’ starting lineup at the Wells Fargo Center and receiving the key to the city with teammates and coaches in attendance for a ceremony at City Hall. Even early in that tenure, however, Morris publicly expressed he understood that his expiring contract and salary number made him a contender to be moved again.

After he was traded to the Spurs and bought out of his deal, Morris acknowledged he got comfortable spending time with his family and thought he “might just ride this out” through the end of this season. Yet the opportunity to reunite with Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff — an assistant with the Houston Rockets when Morris was drafted by the organization in 2011 — got Morris “off the couch.”

Bickerstaff, in turn, said this version of Morris brings “a level of respect that [maybe] five to 10 guys carry in this league.”

“When he speaks, because he’s a quiet person; people listen,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s invaluable for us, as we continue to kind of grow through this and try to get [to] the steps that we’re looking for.”

The Cavaliers — who entered Sunday as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed — remain a rising young team seeking the toughness required to advance in the postseason, after the New York Knicks physically dismantled them in last year’s first round. Morris immediately instituted an unofficial “no dunk” policy for opponents, flashing that mentality earlier this week when he was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Hornets center Nick Richards in the face.

“He definitely showed that he was serious about that rule,” Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen said.

Morris, though, is not strictly an enforcer. Sixers coach Nick Nurse said “I miss him” when asked about Morris before Friday’s matchup, partially because he could “carry the second unit through some scoring moments” with his off-the-bounce creation and long-range shooting. He averaged 6.7 points on 40% three-point shooting, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 37 games with the Sixers.

“He’s a very capable player on both ends,” Nurse said, “with some size and a lot of physicality — which comes in handy.”

As both teams took the court before Friday’s meeting, Morris immediately put his arm around KJ Martin (a teammate with the Los Angeles Clippers and Sixers) at midcourt. Early in Morris’ second-quarter stint, he fed fellow former Sixer Georges Niang for one of his five three-point makes. And with about seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Morris banged home a deep shot to put the Cavaliers up, 102-94 — and then pounded his arm as he turned to face his former bench.

Still, Morris’s choice to speak up the previous day perhaps epitomizes his early impact on his new team.

“You can look at the body language, as a group, and you can tell that they were hearing,” Bickerstaff said. “And his message was coming through loud and clear.”