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Jamal Collier, ESPN
The Minnesota Timberwolves are acquiring guard Monte Morris from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guards Shake Milton and Troy Brown Jr. and a 2030 second-round draft pick, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.
Morris, 28, averaged a career-high 10.3 points and 5.3 assists for the Washington Wizards last season while starting 61 of 62 games. He missed the first 43 games of the 2023-24 season with a right quad injury, but he returned on Jan. 24 as a reserve for the Pistons.
Morris, who is in the final season of a three-year, $27.7 million deal, adds playoff experience off the bench for the Wolves, who are in the midst of one of the best seasons in franchise history at 35-16 and tied for first place in the Western Conference.
Morris has played in 48 career playoff games (10 starts) with the Denver Nuggets. He will look to assist a Timberwolves offense that has struggled down the stretch recently.
Since Jan. 20, the Timberwolves have lost four games when leading by 10-plus points in the fourth quarter, including Tuesday. That is the most in the NBA during that span. During that same stretch, the Timberwolves rank 29th in offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter, ahead of only the Portland Trail Blazers.
Morris has struggled to find a rhythm in his six games since returning from injury, averaging 4.5 points on 36.4% shooting. However, he has the second-highest career assist-to-turnover ratio among players with at least 1,000 assists.
Milton played 38 games for Minnesota this season, averaging 4.7 points on 40% shooting. Brown appeared in 37 games and averaged 4.2 points on 44% shooting. Both players have team options for next season.