Morris was surprised by trade to Wizards
Former Nuggets point guard has no ill will toward team
If Monte Morris holds even an ounce of grudge against the Denver Nuggets, it’s so imperceptible not even a polygraph would pick it up.
In new general manager Calvin Booth’s first big swing running the Nuggets, he traded Morris and veteran Will Barton this past summer in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-pope and Ish Smith.
On the surface, it wasn’t shocking, as the trade improved Denver defensively and thus fulfilled one of Booth’s stated mandates. But to Morris, the steady, reliable guard who’d become one of the foundational pieces of Denver’s locker room, the trade was stunning.
“I had just went to dinner with Calvin,” Morris told The Post when the Wizards visited Denver this past week.
“I was definitely shocked because I heard different things, ‘Like I wasn’t going nowhere and stuff,’” he said. “For me, that just showed me you can’t really put all your eggs in one basket nowhere. Ain’t no hard feelings towards him or nobody. I put that personal side behind me the moment they said the trade was done with. It’s just business.”
Booth acknowledged the deal, particularly with what he’d told Morris, was difficult to execute.
“That’s an accurate depiction of how it went down,” Booth told The Post. “… Felt like KCP’S the kind of player we needed. Felt like Monte’s the kind of player we needed as well. But couldn’t leave that transaction with both, essentially.”
Throughout Morris’ five years in Denver, he was the consummate pro. Whenever there was an unsettling loss, Morris would gamely speak to media members, offering honesty and insight that no other Nugget would provide. On the court, he was a smart, selfless guard more concerned with getting his teammates involved than hunting stats. So, naturally, despite the impression that he wasn’t going anywhere, he took the news in stride.
“It’s just business, and I pride myself on looking at it that way because you never know when you gotta cross paths again with anybody,” he said.
Morris said there’s no ill will toward Booth. Once he was over the initial surprise, Morris’ mind drifted to the situation that awaited him in Washington.
“I can respect that he did put me in a situation where I’m able to start,” Morris said. “… He did put me in a position to be successful and that’s all that you can ask
from somebody, man man.”
In Washington, he was granted a chance to thrive under Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who was a huge proponent of Morris while cutting his teeth as an assistant in Denver. What Unseld saw from afar last season was Morris calmly inheriting the starting role which had been temporarily vacated by Jamal Murray.
As the starter last season, Morris amassed career-high stats with 12.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Despite the increased usage and attention, his 3-point shooting sat a tick below 40%.
“I already knew it myself, but it was just to show everybody else that I could still play at a high level despite having more onus on my shoulders,” Morris said. “But I think it prepared me for the situation I’m in right now.” to
Thus far, injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the Wizards, whose loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday was their eighth straight. It’s hardly been a seamless tran- sition for Morris and his new teammates, but that couldn’t hide the pride he felt walking into Ball Arena again, this time as an opponent.
“It’s only weird because I’ve never sat on that bench or been in the visitor’s locker room,” he said. “Besides that, it’s cool.”
Before he knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 20 points against his old squad, Morris walked around the Wizards shootaround embracing staffers from his for- mer organization. The los- ing streak Washington car- ried didn’t seem to burden him in the least. Morris was eager to tangle with Murray and Nikola Jokic, and a few hours later, he proved it.
“I’m a competitor,” he said.
Then he considered all he’d been through with them, from blossoming as a second-round pick to helping transform the Nuggets into a perennial postseason team.
“We started off like, ‘Playoffs the goal,’ then we got to a point where, ‘All right, we did that, let’s do something else,’” he said. “Now it’s like championship or bust here, so for me to just see where this organization (is going) and just know I was a part of that, it makes me feel good.”
Later that night, the Nuggets played a tribute video to Morris rife with clutch shots and formative moments. The home crowd erupted in appreciation.
“It just shows how much groundwork you put in somewhere to have love like that,” he said.