Markieff Morris does not want to play basketball for the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately for him, he is under contractual obligation to do just that — and, apparently, not complain too much about it.
Morris was fined $10,000 Tuesday by the NBA for publicly demanding a trade. The power forward made his demands known both in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer a month ago and on Twitter last week.
My future will not be in Phoenix.... #thatisall #backtothegrind #FOE
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) September 4, 2015Morris feels betrayed because the Suns traded his twin brother, Marcus, this offseason to the Pistons. Adding further insult, the Suns made the move as a part of a salary dump in a failed attempt to bring in LaMarcus Aldridge — the new Spurs power forward who likely would have taken Markieff Morris' starting job.
So the umbrage is understandable.
The Suns have had issues off the court with both Morris twins, most notably the felony charges that they assaulted a mentor. There were other antics, including Markieff ripping Suns fans' enthusiasm. Splitting up the twins seemed on paper to be a reasonable move, and Markieff was the more productive and important player for Phoenix to keep.
But last offseason, the Morris twins signed unique joint contract extensions — at a very reasonable rate. The idea was clear: They wanted to stay together and would take a pay discount to make it work. The contracts were drawn up separately and without any no-trade clauses, though, and it only took a year for the Suns to decide it didn't work.
Morris' trade demand was rooted in feelings of betrayal, but it may end up prolonging his stay in Phoenix. These types of moves tend to reduce a player's value on the market, and the Suns don't have to trade Morris if they don't feel they can get a fair deal. The best-case scenario for both sides would be a few interested suitors getting into a bidding war.
Morris might be worth it. He averaged career highs of 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season and has shown range out to the 3-point line, a commodity at power forward. He was even better in a smaller role the year before, averaging 13.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes a game and making a case for the 2013-14 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
He's played four seasons in Phoenix, since being drafted 13th overall in 2011. Clearly, he does not want that to continue.
