Report: Markieff Morris' Injury Return Makes Heat 'Uneasy' After Jokic Altercation

The Miami Heat are reportedly "uneasy" about clearing Markieff Morris to play following his altercation with Nikola Jokic in a Nov. 8 loss to the Denver Nuggets, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Jackson and Chiang write:

"The Heat’s specific medical concern with Morris isn’t clear, but the sources said it was significant enough to make the Heat uneasy about clearing him to play, at least to this point, and significant enough to leave the team concerned about liability issues."

Jokic was ejected from that matchup after running up and barging into Morris' back at half court. The incident occurred after Morris body checked Jokic and elbowed him in the ribs. 

After being shoved, Morris laid on the court in pain for a good amount of time before heading to the locker room. Officials assessed Jokic a flagrant 2 foul, and he was later suspended for one game. 

Morris, meanwhile, was fined $50,000 for the altercation. 

While the Heat reportedly don't feel comfortable clearing Morris, who has missed the team's last 44 games, the 32-year-old tweeted that he will be back this season and that he has been cleared to play.

If he has truly been cleared to play, it's uncertain when he'll take the court. 

Morris, the 13th overall pick in 2011, joined the Heat on a one-year deal ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10 games before being sidelined. 

Morris has mostly bounced around the NBA since being drafted by the Phoenix Suns. He spent the first four and a half seasons of his career in Phoenix before being traded to the Washington Wizards during the 2015-16 season. 

The Kansas product spent two full seasons in Washington before getting dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018-19 season. The Pelicans waived him, and he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After that, he joined the Detroit Pistons for the 2019-20 season before heading to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent the entire 2020-21 season. 

Miami has been just fine in Morris' absence. The Heat are second in the Eastern Conference with a 34-20 record, and that's quite impressive considering Jimmy Butler has also been in-and-out of the lineup because of injuries.