Should The Phoenix Suns Trade Markieff Morris?
Reasons Against Trading Markieff Morris
The reasons for keeping Markieff Morris also extend beyond the fact that there aren’t many superior alternatives with LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love off the board. As much as his attitude and off-court problems negatively swayed fan approval this season, Keef is still a pretty damn good basketball player.
He’s not a great rebounder, as we covered, but he’s already developed into one of the league’s best offensive weapons at his position. With an array of midrange moves that begin once he faces up his man, Keef can get his shot off at almost any time. He’s capable of knocking down step-back jumpers, turnaround jumpers and attacking the basket, making him a tough defensive assignment.
Even better, Keef is only 25 years old, which means he’s not even in his prime yet. He’s one of the older players in Phoenix’s ultra-young core, but that doesn’t mean he’s peaked by any stretch of the imagination. The 2014-15 season was his first year playing starter’s minutes, so who’s to say he can’t improve on the glass and on the defensive end once his body is more accustomed to the grind of banging bodies in the paint with NBA starters on a nightly basis?
Finally, we can’t discuss Markieff Morris without mentioning the absolute bargain of a contract he’s on. The extension Keef signed last summer for four years and $32 million doesn’t kick in until this upcoming season, and with the NBA’s salary cap set to skyrocket by $40 million two years from now, Morris is a total steal at $8 million a season.
One can understand the qualms fans have with Keef’s disposition, and it makes sense on paper to trade the other disgruntled brother after splitting the twins up. But you don’t go dumping a young, quality, extremely clutch player like Markieff Morris just because there’s some awkward tension between him and the front office.
Morris hasn’t stopped improving his game and there’s opportunity here in Phoenix. McDonough will try to get Keef to understand that and if he’s on board, keeping him will pay dividends. Even if Keef is NOT on board, playing with a superior supporting cast and learning from a veteran locker room leader like Tyson Chandler could do wonders too.
For what it’s worth, at the introductory press conference for Tyson Chandler, McDonough iterated to a couple of reporters that while he hadn’t talked with Markieff directly yet following the Marcus Morris trade, the Suns aren’t looking to trade Keef and believe he will take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
Next: The Verdict