About a month ago, the Phoenix Suns had suddenly launched themselves headfirst into the LaMarcus Aldridge free agency foray. With a strong pitch that included the surprise of new acquisition Tyson Chandler being in on the meeting, Aldridge suddenly had a difficult decision on his hands: the Suns and the strong impression they made, or the San Antonio Spurs and their championship culture.
Aldridge eventually chose the Spurs, as most figured he would. But the Suns were a close second, and were apparently so close that general manager Ryan McDonough decided to start clearing room for Aldridge by trading Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger to the Detroit Pistons.
That decision could alter the Suns’ 2015-16 season for the better, or it could ultimately lead to the setback of trading away Markieff Morris — if the latest Mook-inspired Suns rumors are to be believed, that is.
McDonough and the Suns maintained that the trade would’ve happened regardless of Aldridge’s decision. To the outside world, that stance has been met with skepticism. But for those who have been following the team closely over the last year (or for those who simply checked their Twitter feeds yesterday), Marcus Morris’ poor decision-making has made it a bit more believable.
Regardless of what the underlying intentions are, the trade was ultimately good news for the Suns. Not only did it clear some cap space from the books for next summer, but it also got rid of a toxic personality who, at various points over the last year, has screamed at his head coach, verbally bashed the home fans and faced felony aggravated assault charges.
Unfortunately, there’s still a problem: his twin brother, who undoubtedly feels slighted by the trade, is still a member of the Phoenix Suns.
Lol this a foul game here man!
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) July 2, 2015
That was Keef’s reaction the day the news of the deal broke, and thanks to his brother’s constant smack-talk of the Suns online (and probably in his ear), it’s unlikely those feelings have abated. In fact, Marcus Morris prompted a whole new wave of speculation during his Twitter tirade, suggesting that it was only a matter of time before his twin was on the move as well.
He did it twice, in fact:
Mook has since deleted those tweets, but the question still stands: did Marcus Morris provide legitimate insight as to where his brother stands with the organization right now?
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On the one hand, it’d be easy to dismiss those tweets as nothing more than bitter trolling, since that’s essentially what started the whole digital tirade in the first place. Marcus was making it his mission to antagonize as many Suns fans as possible, so twisting the knife by involving one of the team’s best players would be an effective way to do so.
But no one would be surprised if Keef had beef with the front office after it dealt his brother away, because let’s face it: these two haven’t always acted responsibly when faced with adversity.
Uniting the brothers was a good faith move, and although most people knew that the Morrii probably wouldn’t spend their whole careers together, splitting them up one summer after they both earned four-year extensions was an understandable shock (even if the Suns owed them nothing given their penchant for off-court controversy).
The only good news so far is that other than that reactionary tweet from a month ago, Markieff Morris has kept his feelings to himself. While Marcus has been busy broadcasting his resentment to the world, Keef has yet to chime in. Whether that’s due to professionalism, the blunt realization that he’s still a Sun or he’s just biding his time, Keef hasn’t told the world his side of the story yet.
Unfortunately, if anyone were to know the extent of his feelings about this — namely, whether or not he’d demand a trade — it’d be Marcus Morris. Phoenix can’t afford any more locker room turmoil after that exact problem derailed their season last year, so if there’s still bad blood by the time training camp begins, don’t be surprised if McDonough suddenly pulled the trigger on a deal.
McDonough usually keeps his moves quiet, but if Markieff Morris wants a trade, that may not be the case here. 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. 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.
But until we know the potential threat that his discontent poses to the locker room, there’s a chance this relationship could head south pretty quickly. If Marcus Morris’ Twitter tirade is to be believed, that could be inevitable.
Next: Recapping Marcus Morris' Busy Day On The Internet