The Phoenix Suns played much of the 2023-24 season without a true point guard. The team often utilized Devin Booker as the lead guard, something he didn’t frequently do in his first eight seasons. It looks as if Phoenix is now trying to roster more point guards on next season’s roster as they have signed two. The Suns first agreed to a two-way deal with former Denver Nuggets player Collin Gillespie. On Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Monte Morris will be joining Phoenix on a one-year deal. While terms weren’t announced, the Suns only can offer veteran minimum deals.
Free agent guard Monte Morris plans to sign a deal with the Phoenix Suns, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Suns lock in a reliable point guard entering his eighth NBA season. Morris has averaged 10 points, 39% 3-point shooting and 3.8 assists over career. pic.twitter.com/d1AUNCYIKm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2024
Suns Add Two Point Guards In Free Agency
Monte Morris Looking To Rebound After Disappointing Minnesota Tenure
At the trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the 29-year-old Morris from the Detroit Pistons. The expectations were that he would become a steadying figure to backup starting point guard Mike Conley. Once the playoffs rolled around, Morris essentially became a non-factor. He appeared in nine of their 16 postseason outings averaging just 2.3 points on 30% field goal shooting. Morris averaged 5.1 points in his 27 regular season outings with the Timberwolves.
In the prior two seasons (2021-22 with Denver, 2022-23 with the Washington Wizards), Morris was utilized as a full-time starter. Jamal Murray was out that entire 2021-22 for the Nuggets which thrust Morris into the starting lineup. In those two seasons, Murray combined to average 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He shot 48.2% from the field, 39.0% from three-point range, and 85.1% from the free throw line. He’s always taken good care of the basketball as evidenced by his 5.04 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Collin Gillespie Has Dominated G League, Can He Bring That At The NBA Level?
Gillespie went undrafted in 2022 but joined the Nuggets on a two-way deal. A broken leg forced him to miss the entire 2022-23 season, but he was still given a championship ring after Denver won the 2023 NBA Finals. He signed another two-way deal ahead of the 2023-24 season.
In 24 games with the Nuggets in 2023-24, the 25-year-old Gillespie averaged 3.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 9.4 minutes per outing. He also played in eight games for the G League’s Grand Rapid Gold where Gillespie filled up the stat sheet. Gillespie nearly averaged a triple-double at 21.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 11.0 assists.
Gillespie had a standout college career at Villanova. As a freshman, he was part of their 2018 national championship team. In the 2020-21 season, he was Co-Big East Player of the Year, an award he won outright the following season in 2021-22.
