At the 2016 trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns managed to dump Markieff Morris off to the Washington Wizards for a 1st round pick, which would end up being the 13th overall pick of the 2016 draft.
Markieff Morris is absolutely a talented player, and the situation around him and his brother was certainly a poorly handled situation by the Phoenix Suns. There was clearly a breach of trust, and the Suns needed to move Morris.
It is in this context that this was a good move by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns backed themselves into a bad situation, then saved face by getting a reasonable deal out of it.
Markieff Morris really should be valued over the 13th overall pick in the draft. Markieff has proven that he can produce in the NBA. He hasn’t been consistent, but the system he played in wasn’t consistent.
The 13th overall pick is really a toss-up. In the late lottery, you are far more likely to find a rotation player or a bust than you are to get even an all-star. Nylon Calculus did a great breakdown here.
The Morris trade was about much more than just the pure basketball value though. It was through trading Morris that the Suns were able to start fresh with this young team. The offense ran through Booker after Morris left, and Booker’s game developed rapidly the rest of the season.
This was a great move by the Suns because it set them up for their smartest move of 2016 (so far), a draft day trade that included the pick acquired in the Morris trade.
Next: #1: Aggressive Suns Grab Marquese Chriss