The Phoenix Suns may trade Markieff Morris before the season starts and teams like the Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors could be potential landing spots for the forward and this comes after his twin brother Marcus Morris was traded to the Detroit Pistons this summer.
Morris reportedly is upset at the situation following the trade of his brother and reports have the forward not interested in interacting with the team. According to John Gambadoro at 98.7 radio Arizona Sports, Morris wants to be traded and he has not been talking to "players or staff" for the Suns since the trade happened with his brother. The Suns previously said that they were concerned about what Morris would do after the trade and clearly that has been realized now.
The report says that Morris wants to be "out" of Phoenix and that he would prefer a trade to the Houston Rockets or Toronto Raptors. Those teams are both playoff contenders and Gambadoro adds that Morris has relationships with James Harden and Kyle Lowry. Morris and the Suns have time to get a deal done and it comes after Morris made public comments about his future to Philly.com. According to the site, Morris, who is a Philadelphia native, said that
Gambadoro writes that the situation "could get ugly" for the Suns if Morris is not traded, as the forward is not happy with the situation. Morris felt that the brothers took a discount overall to stay together in Phoenix and that is another reason why he is upset that Marcus was traded. Morris reportedly said that he has to "show up for camp" but that he expects to be gone and that "I'm going to be out before then, should be [before camp]". Morris is on a fairly affordable contract for teams interested, as he signed a four year deal worth $32 million last season.
According to Kevin Pelton at ESPN.com, the Celtics and Raptors can "make strong bids" for Morris if the teams are interested in making a deal. The Celtics have pieces they can move with Jared Sullinger or Perry Jones and other players and that could give the team the chance to get Morris. Morris has been very productive over the past two seasons and at his price per year, he is a steal with the potential he has moving forward. Morris comes in after setting career bests last season with 15 points per game, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing in all 82 games for the Suns.
The Rockets could make a move for Morris, while the Raptors could also be in the mix after signing DeMarre Carroll this summer. The team just inked Jonas Valanciunas to an extension and they may want to add another piece to their mix with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry there already. The Lakers could jump up and make a deal, but that is looking very unlikely right now with how their roster is constructed. The team has depth at forward and they are bringing in some players for camp, including Michael Frazier and Jonathan Holmes.