OKLAHOMA City and Portland gained a boost in their respective bids for deep playoff runs in the NBA’s Western conference after acquiring standout free agents.
The Thunder signed Markieff Morris after his buyout from the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Blazers inked Enes Kanter, who the New York Knicks waived after the trade deadline.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news about Morris’ signing, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported about Kanter’s move to the Blazers.
Free agent Markieff Morris has agreed to sign with Oklahoma City, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 14, 2019
Enes Kanter has agreed to a deal with Portland, league sources tell ESPN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2019
The Thunder and Blazers, running third and fourth, respectively, in the West, are expected to benefit from their new signings.
Morris was averaging 11.5 points on 33.3-percent shooting from the three-point range, and 5.1 boards in 34 games for Washington this season, before the Wizards traded him to New Orleans where he didn’t see action.
Kanter, on the other hand, averaged 14 points and 10.8 rebounds in 115 games over two seasons with the Knicks before having a falling out with coach David Fizdale.