Morris has been upset since his brother Marcus Morris was traded to the Detroit Pistons this offseason and now he may want to leave Phoenix. Now it is being reported that the Suns have no plans to trade Morris before the season starts and they expect him to show up for training camp.
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From the Suns’ perspective, it seemed like a no-brainer on the surface: deal your disgruntled twin, a player who was a problem for the team back when he was “compliant”, and wash your hands of the whole thing. It will be recalled that the brothers agreed to a pay cut just as long as they kept together in Phoenix.
At just 25 years old, he averaged over 15 points and six rebounds per game while shooting nearly 47% from the field as a third offensive option. And now Markieff wants out. James Harden of the Rockets and Kyle Lowry of the Raptors are said to have ties with Morris. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but if the Suns want to be headed in the right direction, they must bring a motivated Markieff Morris to the court in 2015. The Suns are betting on that softening over time.
Even though Jones was coming off an injury-riddled year where he only played 33 games last season for the Rockets, his true potential is simply not exploited by Houston.
To add drama to the situation, Markieff and Marcus Morris are now on trial for allegedly assaulting a man who sent inappropriate text messages to their mother. Markieff Morris is not a star by any means, but he is borderline elite at his position, and he would be in all-star discussion had he been playing in the East. For a team trying to end a five-year playoff drought, Phoenix can’t afford a lopsided deal that doesn’t net them a starting-caliber power forward in return. Securing first-round picks for the already-gone Goran Dragic was a masterstroke, the team patiently waited out Eric Bledsoe’s restricted free agency prior to signing him to a reasonable contract, and both Morris twins are working on very favorable (and, as was obviously the case with Marcus, tradable) deals. Not only is he a good theoretical fit alongside Tyson Chandler as a big who can knock down midrange jumpers, but at this point in time, it’s completely unreasonable to expect general manager Ryan McDonough to get anything close to fair value in return.
When asked if he will report to training camp, he said, “I’ve got to show up”. I will be a professional. But it won’t get that far.
The Suns definitely did not make that mistake. Furthermore, teams likely won’t give the Suns any great trade offers, knowing the relationship is on the rocks and that if Morris becomes enough of a distraction, Phoenix will want him out.
Markieff’s previous criticism of Suns fans only worsens his reputation but the start of a make-up process is only a honest statement of regret and a few double-doubles away.
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Morris signed a four year $32 million extension with the Suns prior to last season which kicks in for the 2015-16 season meaning he has next to no leverage when he demands a trade. “I’m going to be out before then”.
