Early in the offseason, the Phoenix Suns opted to trade Marcus Morris, one-half of the Morrii, to the Detroit Pistons. At that time, it was assumed that said move by the front office would cause some waves that might rock the Markieff Morris boat.
But, that probably isn’t a bad thing, right? The Morrii were not equal parts in their time playing together in Phoenix. Some off-the-court issues furthered the issue and for whatever reason, the Suns elected to move the piece that they saw as less valuable to their organization.
Now the Suns are faced with the possibility of having to move Markieff. After he was angered by the conditions surrounding the trade of his brother, Marcus, it was made clear that he intends to no longer play for Phoenix, putting the heat on the Suns to move him via trade.
Moving Markieff isn’t ideal. His 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15 were both career-high numbers. Likely, the trajectory for Markieff will continue upward and he would have benefitted from playing alongside newly acquired Tyson Chandler. However, given the player’s demand, it might be best for the Suns front office to make a move. The longer the Markieff issue lingers, the more damage it has the potential to do in the Suns locker room and in the press. Moving Markieff also gives them a chance to add another piece before the season starts instead of having to adjust after camps and the season is off and running.
September has started, but we still aren’t to camps or preseason games yet. So, take a moment to suspend your disbelief and take a journey to the ESPN trade machine for answers. Here are three strange, yet intriguing options for the Suns.
Scenario One:
Phoenix trades Markieff Morris to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Anthony Bennett and Shabazz Muhammad. This trade is something strange, yet intriguing. I think everyone might be alarmed at Phoenix giving up Morris for Bennett. That makes sense, Bennett hasn’t really shown anything yet to make anyone believe he is going to emerge. But, it isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. In addition, throwing Muhammad into the deal hurts a bit for the Wolves, but sweetens the deal for the Suns. Morris is on a fairly cheap, long-term deal and could fit in really well in Minnesota. What? I asked you to suspend your disbelief; it’s September.
Scenario Two:
Phoenix trades Markieff Morris to the Chicago Bulls for Taj Gibson. Markieff is on the upswing and his scoring has been ticking up each year of his career. New Bulls Head Coach Fred Hoiberg likes offense. Taj Gibson has been less than thrilled about his playing time and has already had the carpet pulled out from under him during the Thibodeau reign after being told to prepare to be the starting power forward in Chicago. This trade doesn’t really seem to move the meter for either team, but it does swap players of the same position who probably would both like a change of scenery. I’d like to think that a Gibson/Chandler front court could be good for a season or two. Can you really tell me you wouldn’t want to watch an HBO Hard Knocks on Markieff Morris and Bobby Portis?
Scenario Three:
Phoenix trades Markieff Morris and Archie Goodwin to the Washington Wizards for Nene Hilario. I’m trying to sell this one solely on the idea that there should be some type of dramedy called One Year with Nene. It’s not a great trade. The Suns would benefit from having Nene off the books altogether next season. The Wizards could pair the talented Morris with Wall and Beal, setting the table for a run at Durant in free agency. The trade might not be a great one, but I have chosen to like the idea of the Wizards with Morris. I’m not sure that the Archie Goodwin piece matters at all, other than evening out the money to swing Morris for Hilario.
There you have it. Three unlikely trades that I think are just sensible enough that I wouldn’t be angry about them for the teams that would add Morris, though I might feel a little bad for all the fans in Phoenix. Morris is an exciting player. Hopefully, he continues to improve as he has in each of his previous four seasons in the NBA. There are a lot of teams who would love to add him, not just the three random, bizarre situations I decided to pick out of a hat.
The Suns will test the trade waters and see what is there. They probably don’t want a disgruntled player hanging around the gym, or not showing up at all. But, if every other team in the NBA low-balls them, Phoenix might brave the rough seas and call Markieff’s bluff. Markieff’s Bluff. That’s another great name for a television show or movie…
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