The Phoenix Suns are in a bind. With Markieff Morris going on record yesterday to voice his displeasure with the organization for trading away his twin brother Marcus Morris, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before this turbulent journey comes to its merciful crash landing.
The question now is whether it’d be better to ship Keef away for a return well under his true market value or ride it out and force him to be a professional. So far, the gut impulse has been for the Suns to trade him away as soon as possible and finally wash their hands of the troublesome Morris twins.
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It’s hard to blame the front office for thinking this way if they do indeed deal Keef for something well below his true value. Morris put up career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in his first season as a starter last year and was one of the most clutch players in the league on the offensive end of the floor.
At 25 years old, Keef also has four years and $32 million left on his contract, making him one of the best non-rookie deals in the NBA right now. With the NBA’s salary cap set to skyrocket by a projected $40 million over the next few years, there’s no question that Keef could help quite a few teams out with effective scoring in the midrange.
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In fact, it’s a pity that his anger over the Marcus Morris trade is so badly clouding his judgment that he can’t see how he could thrive playing alongside a defensive anchor like Tyson Chandler, someone whose rim protection would cover some of his mistakes on that end. Chandler’s presence as the dive man in pick-and-roll sets would also open up Keef’s midrange jumper, making him a terrific complement on both ends of the floor.
But Keef wants nothing to do with the Suns now, and he’s in a place where he can’t be bothered by reason. Under this premise, general manager Ryan McDonough may have no choice but to trade him away, and sooner might be better than later.
It’s never a good idea to give away valuable assets for less than their market value. Between finishing second in the league in technical fouls last season, verbally bashing the home fans’ support, the felony aggravated assault charges and now his embattled words about wanting out on a team where he believed he was “the premier player,” Keef’s trade value has never been lower than his actual on-court value.
And yet, Keef’s value to the Suns has also never been lower. If you thought Morris was a problem last season when he was still playing alongside his brother, how bad do you think it’ll get now that he REALLY has no reason to give a damn about his temper or on-court production?
It’s true, the Suns don’t have to play him. They could give him a chance at first and glue him to the bench if he starts acting out. They could even go as far as suspending him without pay if his actions or attitude are detrimental to the team’s goal of making the playoffs (which they would almost assuredly be).
Lake Show Life
But I can’t imagine the Suns want to deal with an ongoing process like that simply to take a stand. Let’s assume Phoenix holds its ground by refusing to give in to his trade demands. Let’s say they give him a chance and are forced to suspend him, but still won’t move him because his trade value is so low. Can we really expect the Suns to hold that position for four years — the duration of his contract — and expect things to suddenly get better during that time?
Because his trade value certainly won’t be going up in that time. A few years away from basketball would push his trade value even lower, and Markieff Morris doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who would forget a grudge with the simple passage of time, especially if that team wasn’t paying him anymore.
Perhaps losing that paycheck that he called a “discount” would prompt him to start acting like a professional and just focus on basketball, but something tells me its far more likely Keef would be a constant headache for this team.
As unfortunate as it’d be to deal Markieff now — when the Suns have no leverage because the rest of the league KNOWS he wants out — this team is in desperate need of a culture change and can’t afford to invite a cancer into the locker room. Breaking ties with Keef sooner rather than later makes sense for a team that wants to end its current five-year playoff drought in 2015-16, especially after spending all summer trying to build locker room chemistry.
As far as Keef’s stock has plummeted over the last year, McDonough could still work out a passable deal. Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers would bite with the inclusion of a few future second round picks. Maybe the Toronto Raptors are so desperate for a power forward upgrade they pick up the phone. Maybe the Orlando Magic want another young player with potential.
The Suns are never going to get fair value for Markieff Morris, but gluing him to the bench and/or suspending him without pay isn’t going to increase his trade value either. Keef isn’t going to change his stance and suddenly decide he wants to just play basketball; he seems pretty resolute in his stance that he doesn’t want to be in Phoenix anymore.
To that end, it might be better to deal him now before his stock depreciates even more. The Suns won’t be making the playoffs with Mirza Teletovic and Jon Leuer holding down the power forward spot, so netting something even close to a starting-caliber 4 would give Phoenix a better chance at re-establishing a winning culture than the inevitably ugly road that keeping him would lead down.
Next: Drawing Up Potential Markieff Morris Trades