Markieff Morris: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation Surrounding Suns PF
The Phoenix Suns parted ways with Marcus Morris in a July trade with the Detroit Pistons, and his twin, Markieff, has publicly expressed displeasure with the franchise, which put his future in the desert in question.
However, Morris has since pledged his future to the Suns as the team starts its preparation for the season.
Continue for updates.
Morris Backtracks on Trade Demand
Monday, Sept. 28
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic provided Morris' comments during his media availability:
""I want to be here," Morris said while wearing his Suns No. 11 jersey for media day.
Morris did not elaborate on how he has expressed unhappiness with the Suns since early July, when they traded his twin, Marcus, to Detroit while they were on vacation. It was a payroll-cutting move to pursue free agent target LaMarcus Aldridge, who would have replaced Markieff as the starting power forward but he chose San Antonio over Phoenix.
"I'm looking forward to the season, not really trying to look at the past," Morris said. "I don't really want to talk about what I did in the summer. I really want to look forward to this up-and-coming season. Glad to be back with my teammates and glad to be back with the team."
When asked about his discord with the front office, Morris said, "It's between us and we're going to deal with it."
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"One thing for sure, I am not going to be there," Morris said on Aug. 13, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Enquirer, "If you want to put that out there, you can put that out . . . I am not to going to be there at all." Morris continued, per Pompey:
""I've got to show up. No question. You can't do that. I will be a professional. Don't get me wrong. But it won't get that far. . . . I'm going to be out before then, should be.
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On Sept. 4, Morris doubled down on those statements:
The NBA fined him $10,000 for his comments on Sept. 8, per Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk.
Markieff and Marcus had long been fond of playing alongside one another, and the latter expressed his frustration with Phoenix's decision to ship him to the Motor City.
"Everybody knew how bad I wanted to play with my brother," Marcus Morris said on July 11, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "Phoenix knew. For them to trade me without consent or telling or anything like that was kind of like a, I would say slap in the face, because of the contract I took from those guys and the money I took from them. That was kind of a slap in the face."
If the Suns do eventually trade Markieff, they would be parting with one of their most prized assets. Not only is the 25-year-old coming off a career year that saw him average 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds, but he's signed to a team-friendly deal. According to BasketballInsiders.com, Markieff has four years and $32 million remaining on his contract.
Morris Has Two Preferred Destinations
Friday, Aug. 14
According to John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM, Morris prefers Houston and Toronto, but any place other than Phoenix would make him happy.
Gambadoro went on to provide Morris' reasons for wanting to "force Phoenix to deal him":
"He feels disrespected, says the Suns management never called him or his brother after the trade of Marcus Morris to Detroit. He is unhappy the Suns were willing to trade him to Portland for LaMarcus Aldridge, unhappy that they wanted to replace him. He believes he took a below-market deal in order to play with his brother long-term.
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Morris will "tell the Suns he can’t play for them, has too much hatred and animosity built up and that they won’t want him around", per Gambadoro.
According to Gambadoro on Aug. 7, Markieff has hit Phoenix with the cold shoulder as a way to convey his displeasure with the franchise:
Analyzing What Morris Provides to Suns, Potential Trade Partners
Last season, Morris drilled a career-best 50.2 percent of his shots between 10 and 16 feet. Attempts from that zone accounted for 24.6 percent of his total production, per Basketball-Reference.com.
"Keef is a talented offensive player who is only 25 years old and has plenty of room to improve on a bargain of a contract," Valley of the Suns' Gerald Bourguet wrote. "He has a golden opportunity to be a starter in Phoenix and help a team that should be in the mix for a playoff spot this season."
Marcus and Markieff also pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony aggravated assault back on May 7. At present, the twins' lawyers are trying to push the case into the hands of a grand jury after they believe "false and misleading" evidence was presented, according to the Arizona Republic's Anthony Marroquin. If convicted, they could face jail time.
Teams wary of the impending legal proceedings could be hesitant to part with significant assets to acquire a player mired in off-court troubles.
At this point it's a matter of rival teams conducting cost-benefit analyses and examining whether Markieff is worth the gamble—since he's clearly proved to be a solid power forward with stretch 4 potential.
