In an offseason that saw the Phoenix Suns draft Devin Booker, sign Tyson Chandler, miss out on LaMarcus Aldridge and re-sign Brandon Knight, Markieff Morris has somehow become the biggest story of the summer. Unfortunately for the Suns, his attitude could be the biggest difference between making the playoffs and the season imploding before it even begins.
It’s no secret that the current situation looks dire. After the Suns traded away Marcus Morris to the Detroit Pistons in order to clear cap space for LaMarcus Aldridge, Phoenix was left empty-handed with no superstar free agent and a pissed off Markieff Morris. Keef held his silence for weeks, but eventually expressed his true feelings on the matter, publicly demanding a trade.
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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. But then the cold hard facts of the situation began to sink in.
On a four-year, $32 million contract, Morris is one of the best non-rookie deals in the NBA right now. Last season, Keef posted career highs in scoring (15.3 PPG), rebounds (6.2 RPG), assists (2.3 APG) and steals (1.2 SPG) per game, while also doubling as one of the most clutch players in the league.
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Though his pundits are quick to point out his underwhelming rebounding and his so-so interior defense, Morris is an intrinsic part of Phoenix’s starting five now. 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.
Part of that is on Morris himself, and part of that is on the Suns. Over the last year, Keef did himself no favors by continually letting his temper lead him to bad decisions that alienated himself from the fan base. He finished second in the league in technical fouls, he publicly called out the home crowd support and he further soiled his reputation thanks to felony aggravated assault charges.
With the results of those charges still pending, teams have plenty of reason to be wary of Morris’ future.
However, even if other teams are interested in trading for Markieff Morris, that doesn’t mean it’s the most prudent approach for the Phoenix Suns.
Now that the entire league knows Morris wants out of the Valley, the Suns have exactly zero leverage in negotiating a fair trade. 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. Since the prospect of that happening seems so unlikely at this point, the Suns’ most logical approach to this whole convoluted situation is waiting it out.
According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, Morris was fuming when he learned about the trade, and he was still plenty pissed off when he vented to his hometown newspaper to let the world know about his desire to be traded. Team FOE is unlikely to forget this sort of grievance, but the Suns have no better option than to wait it out and hope his anger abates.
They Suns aren’t getting a quality starter in return, they won’t find one in free agency and neither Mirza Teletovic nor Jon Leuer is capable of replacing Morris. To that end, Phoenix will be hoping that time heals all wounds and that Morris being around his teammates again will prompt him to focus on basketball.
The Suns are hoping Tyson Chandler’s veteran leadership becomes a factor here, but even if the worst-case scenario where Morris refuses to play comes to fruition, the front office still holds all the cards. If he holds out or if his actions prove to be detrimental to Phoenix’s playoff hopes, the Suns could easily suspend him without pay until any potential temper tantrum gives way to reason.
True enough, this franchise is in desperate need of a culture change and Markieff Morris doesn’t really fit in with that desired new identity. But trading Keef for pennies on the dollar would be the wrong course of action for Phoenix even if he was a bad fit on the court (which he’s not). As long as the ideal scenario of Morris wising up with the passing of time (or a suspension) remains a possibility, the Suns should pursue it.
To that end, even if the fans are crying for Markieff Morris’ banishment, patience remains a virtue for Ryan McDonough and the Phoenix Suns.
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