“I just think me being myself, not going out there and being hesitant — I think that’s kind of helped me develop my career.” This quote from 2019, till today, can summarize what personality Monte Morris has. His career in the NBA was never straightforward, nor were the minutes. Yet, every season, he stayed resilient and, at the age of 30, found another home with the Pacers in a unique situation.
What is Monte Morris’ net worth?
For those keeping track, this isn’t Morris’ first stop around the league. Being in the league for 8 years now, Monte Morris’ net worth is approximately $10 million. It was the Denver Nuggets who selected the Iowa State alum as the overall #51 pick in 2017. That season, he was on a two-way contract, juggling with the G-League affiliate team. After 5 seasons, the point guard was not part of the plans in the Mile High City.
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Later, the stints became shorter, and he became a journeyman. The Wizards, Timberwolves, Pistons, and most recently, the Suns, were his stops before accepting the contract with the Pacers. Morris arrives after a season with the Phoenix Suns, where he appeared in 45 games and averaged 5.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 rebounds.
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Monte Morris’ Contract Breakdown
The Indiana Pacers are still hurting from the loss of Tyrese Haliburton. Their superstar point guard suffered an ACL injury during the NBA finals, and after surgery, is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season. The Indy franchise already has Andrew Nembhard and T. J. McConnell as experienced point guards. But Rick Carlisle tends to use two ball handlers at the same time. This only meant they needed more depth and experience, and their answer to the solution–Monte Morris.
To stabilize their backcourt, the team has offered Morris a one-year deal. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, “Free agent guard Monte Morris has agreed to a one-year deal with the Indiana Pacers, Andy Shiffman and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Entering his ninth NBA season, Morris provides backcourt depth to the Pacers.” But it’s not a guaranteed deal. In fact, some state it is an Exhibit 9 deal.
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To add context, Keith Smith of Spotrac explained what an Exhibit 9 deal entails.”An Exhibit 9 contract includes a provision that protects the player against injury while under that contract. If a player is injured while on an Exhibit 9 deal, the team is responsible for paying that player $15,000 (this is up from $6,000 in the prior CBA). That $15,000 does hit the salary cap and luxury tax as a form of dead money charge, upon the player being waived.”
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Again, the 30-year-old has to earn his contract the hard way, the way he has since his rookie year.
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What is Monte Morris’ salary?
As per Spotrac, the player first signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets in his rookie season. Later, on July 25, 2018, Monte Morris agreed to a three-year, $4.66 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. In his sophomore year in the league, his contributions from the bench put him in the running for the 6th Man of the Year. He would eventually finish 9th in the list, but his performance continued. He played a big role during Denver’s postseason run to the Western Conference finals, where the Nuggets were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
As a result of that performance on December 9, 2020, Monte Morris signed a three-year, $27.77 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. Then he was traded, so other teams paid the guaranteed contract amount during the trade. Before the Pacers deal, it was with the Suns where he signed a one-year contract on a veteran minimum salary of $2.8 million.
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Monte Morris’ career earnings
As stated, he has played in the league for 8 years, which is why his total earnings come to $35,137,888.
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A look at Monte Morris’ college and professional career
Even before arriving at the Pacers facility, Morris had a connection with Haliburton. Before Hali was the star point guard for the Iowa State Cyclones, that responsibility was on Monte Morris’ shoulder. From 2013 to 2017, he had multiple accolades in his collegiate career. In 2017, he got the nod for Third Team All-American. Plus, he sits at the top of the All-Time Cyclone assist leaderboard with 765 assists and 5.5 assists per game. There is more!
At the end of his senior season, Morris broke the NCAA record assist-to-turnover ratio with 4.79 and set his freshman year record with 5.21. In his final season in 2017, Morris led Iowa State to a 5th seed in the NCAA tournament before losing to Purdue in the second round. In his NBA career, one of Morris’ standout moments came on February 16, 2022, when he scored 13 points and hit a game-winning 3-pointer against the Golden State Warriors.
Over the years, he has shared the hardwood with one of the best players. From Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, to recently with the Suns Big3 of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant. Even with his limited time in Phoenix, he had a usage rate of 18.2%, despite being a backup guard. So, he won’t shy away from those responsibilities with the Pacers.