Some NBA pundits thought Markieff Morris’ trade value had cratered ahead of the Feb. 18 cutoff.
Yours truly was one of them. I was vocal about it. Unapologetic about it.
Apparently, though, I, like so many others, was wrong.
Here’s Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher:
While some media outlets portrayed Markieff’s market value was portrayed as low, the Wizards weren’t the only team interested in acquiring him. The Orlando Magic, a league source says, attempted to acquire him right after Marcus was dealt, offering former Sun and fan favorite Channing Frye. The Cavaliers and Bulls expressed interest at some point as well, league sources say, along with the Pistons, who at least entertained the idea of reuniting the twins.
So many of Markieff Morris’ issues were undoubtedly due to the toxic climate created by the Phoenix Suns. They haven’t had the best of luck dealing with players in the recent past—including Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic, Gerald Green and Markieff’s twin brother Marcus. Markieff is also on a steal of a contract. He won’t ever earn more than $8.6 million in a single season over its life, and he’s only 26 years old. Some team was always going to trade for him, especially with the salary cap exploding.
The issue, at least for me, was payment. I never saw a need to unload a first-round pick for a player who so obviously wanted out of a locker room that, in turn, so clearly wanted him gone. Neither the Suns nor Morris had any leverage, and it led me to believe he would be sold off on the cheap.
In many ways, he was. But the Suns still netted a first-round pick, which is a major get considering how poorly he has, by and large, played this season. And now that he’s in Washington, away from the Suns, the theory that his on-court issues can be traced back to an irreparable environment will be put to the test—and the Wizards’ gamble will either end up looking genius or adversely impulsive.
