Reasons For Trading Markieff Morris
It’s no secret that Markieff Morris hasn’t connected with the Suns fan base for quite some time. Keef’s abrasive demeanor wasn’t just apparent from the eye test; he also finished with the second most technicals in the league last season (15). And who could forget the time he directly called out the home crowd support after an embarrassing 27-point loss at US Airways Center to the San Antonio Spurs?
The recent felony aggravated assault charges against Keef and Marcus Morris certainly don’t help their public image, nor did anything Mook did wrong over the last year. Since the two were virtually inseparable during their time in Phoenix, all the negative feelings associated with Marcus Morris screaming at head coach Jeff Hornacek and his comments following his departure — fair or not — reflected poorly on his twin brother as well..
Simply put, Suns fans are pretty much fed up with the off-court problems and accompanying headaches that have followed the Morrii. Keef isn’t perfect on the court either.
For being 6’10”, Morris is a pretty underwhelming rebounder, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game as a starter this past season. Nobody on the Suns was a particularly efficient rebounder, but P.J. Tucker had a better rebounding percentage than Keef this past season, per Basketball-Reference.
Though Morris is a better defender than people give him credit for, he’s nowhere near where he needs to be as a rebounder and his inability to spread the floor with a consistent three-point shot in a pick-and-pop role is one of the bigger reasons the Suns fell off from 2013-14 when they had Channing Frye providing that threat.
Finally, we have to address the elephant in the room that comes in a house whose motto is “Family Over Everything.” After the Suns shipped away Marcus Morris in a trade to clear cap space — especially one that didn’t even land LaMarcus Aldridge in the end — Keef is definitely not happy with the front office right now.
Lol this a foul game here man!
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) July 2, 2015
Splitting up the Morris twins after making the good faith effort to bring them together has led many to wonder if general manager Ryan McDonough is searching for a trade for Keef too.
Based on what we saw of his temperament in the past year, tension between the front office and Markieff Morris would not be conducive to locker room chemistry. If handled improperly, this kind of situation could result in another roster shakeup. From that perspective, avoiding all that drama and dealing Kieff for a more positive presence seems like a preferable option.
Next: Possible Trade Partners