Toronto Raptors: G League legend Matt Morgan signs in Turkey

The Toronto Raptors have helped supplement the back end of their roster by promoting players from their excellent Raptors 905 G League team over the last few years. Despite the success he has had in that minor league, Matt Morgan has found it increasingly difficult to get his shot in the NBA.

The former Cornell star, who remains one of the greatest players to ever play for the Big Red, Morgan was one of the best players in Summer League play, averaging 11.2 points per game while making 57% of his shots from the field and an obscene 50% from beyond the 3-point line.

Morgan has done all he can to finally make it to the NBA, but there doesn’t seem to be a spot open for him given all of the new additions Toronto has brought in over the years. Morgan has apparently decided to leave the NBA and start to pursue a professional career elsewhere.

Turkish club Konyaspor announced that Morgan was going to leave North America and sign a contract with them. After several years of trying to crack the Raptors’ roster, Morgan seems to believe that putting up gaudy numbers overseas in a quality league could be the best way to secure an NBA contract.

Matt Morgan is leaving the Toronto Raptors to play in Turkey.

By the end of Morgan’s career at Cornell, only Princeton Hall of Famer Bill Bradley had scored more points in the Ivy League than him. Even with that production, he was not drafted in 2019.

In 54 G League games, Morgan averaged 7.9 points per game while making 42% of his shots overall and 36% from 3-point range. Even with those percentages and his dynamic play in Summer League, the Raptors appear more willing to let veteran options like Isaac Bonga and Sam Dekker compete for roster spots.

Morgan thanked the fans and the organization for their support on Twitter, saying that “Canada will always be home for me” while also confirming that he likes being referred to as a “905 legend.”

https://twitter.com/TheRealMM10/status/1428220126806020096

The Raptors may not have liked to see a young player like Morgan go, but considering the state of this roster and how many players appear to be locked in to make the rotation, it would be hard to carve out time for the microwave shooting guard.

By no means is this the end of the line for Morgan’s NBA career. All he has to do is go to Turkey and prove that his scoring touch is good enough for the professional ranks in America. No matter where you play, if you start piling up the points, NBA teams will recognize and get on the phone with you.