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Detroit Pistons trade Monte Morris to Minnesota Timberwolves for 2 players, 2nd-round pick

omari sankofa ii, detroit free press
·2 min read
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The Detroit Pistons have made another move ahead of Thursday's NBA's trade deadline.

The Pistons traded Monte Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday afternoon, the Free Press confirmed, in exchange for guard Shake Milton, wing Troy Brown Jr. and a 2030 second-round pick.

Both Brown and Milton were fringe rotation pieces for the Timberwolves (35-16), who are tied for first in the Western Conference.

Morris, 28, is a Flint native who arrived in Detroit via a trade with the Washington Wizards last summer for a second-round selection. The 6-foot-2 point guard only recently made his season debut Jan. 24 and hasn't shot the ball well, in six games. He is a career 38.9% outside shooter that has never averaged more than one turnover per game. He's on an expiring contract worth $9.8 million, making him an attractive trade target.

Detroit Pistons guard Monte Morris signals after a 3-point basket during the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
Detroit Pistons guard Monte Morris signals after a 3-point basket during the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.

Milton, 27, brings some point guard chops and off-ball experience, having spent the previous five seasons with Philadelphia, before signing a two-year, $10 million deal with Minnesota in free agency. The second year is a team option. He's averaging just 4.7 points per game this season on 40% shooting, his worst performance since his rookie year in 2018-19 when he was a two-way contract player after being taken 54th overall out of SMU.

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Brown, 24, was the 15th pick out of Oregon in 2018 by the Wizards, and now joining his fifth team. He averaged 4.2 points over 11.1 minutes per game in 37 appearances this season, making 36.9% of his 2.3 attempts from 3-point range per game.

Earlier Wednesday, the Pistons made the first move of deadline week by acquiring forward Simone Fontecchio from the Utah Jazz.

TRADE REACTION: Pistons fans call trade for Simone Fontecchio a 'great move'

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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons trade Monte Morris to Minnesota Timberwolves