During the offseason, a pair of NBA brothers were separated. On July 9th 2015, Marcus Morris was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a salary cap move that gave the Phoenix Suns an ultimately fleeting sense of hope that they could sign LaMarcus Aldridge.
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When LaMarcus didn’t sign, the Suns were left with no bench, cap space they couldn’t use and an unhappy Morris brother. Well, technically two unhappy Morris brothers.
We knew Marcus was unhappy from the moment he got traded:
"“For them to trade me without consent or telling or anything like that was kind of like a, I would say slap in the face,” Marcus told an Associated Press reporter."
And reports have just been released by Suns Radio personalities, ‘Burnes and Gambo’, that:
According to @Gambo987's sources, Markieff wants out. He wants nothing to do with the #Suns. Won't talk to players or staff. #NBA
— The Burns & Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) August 6, 2015
Even if the response by Markieff is slightly childish, is this the right opportunity for the Toronto Raptors to pick up a starting Power Forward?
The Positives
Markieff is a perfect power forward specimen. Standing at 6-10, 245 pounds, he is able to fight under the basket for rebounds and shoot from the outside. Markieff is truly an offensive powerhouse. He’s able to combine his strength and length to both back down defenders and easily shoot over them.
Last year, in 31.5 minutes per game, Morris recorded an average of 15.3 points, shooting 46.3% from the field and 31.8% from long-range.
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However, the most intriguing factor is Morris’ ability to improve. Over his career, he has increased his points per game by an average of 2.6 every year. Starting off at 7.4 points per game in his rookie season, 15.3 points per game last year is a sign of great improvement.
Acquiring Markieff at this moment would aid the Raptors in a fantastic way. Patrick Patterson is currently set to be our starting power forward for the next season and many Raptors fans are skeptical of his ability to fulfill a starting role.
To try and compare the two players, we can look at their points per 36 minutes. Last year, Patterson scored 10.8 points per 36 minutes for the Raptors. In turn, Morris managed to score a whopping 17.5.
To illustrate this difference, 10.8 points per 36 minutes puts Patterson only in the top 70% of the league, whereas 17.5 puts Morris in the top 20%.
Filling a starting role would not be something new for Morris, since he started every game for the Suns last year. In fact, over the past three seasons, he has only missed one game, due to a suspension.
The Negatives
As mentioned, Morris is known for his outbursts and aggression. Last year, he received a total of 15 technical fouls, tied with Russell Westbrook for most in the league.
Morris has been the center of media attention for all the wrong reasons in his career. For example, he was suspended the first game of the 2013/14 season after elbowing Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter of a preseason game.
In November of last year, Morris got into an altercation with Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and held his grudge into the post-game interview. When asked about Caldwell-Pope’s missed game-winner, Morris let loose (per AZ Republic):
"Caldwell-Pope got [the inbound] and you know he doesn’t have any heart so we knew he was going to miss it."
Most seriously, Morris has had at least one problem with the law. As reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Markieff, his brother Marcus and three other men were charged with felony assault of Erik Hood. As the victim was leaving a Pheonix recreation center, reports stated that he was struck on the back of the head and then assaulted on the ground by all five men.
Mar 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) and Phoenix Suns forward Marcus Morris (15) talk during a timeout against the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center. The Trail Blazers won the game 87-81. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Should the Raptors take the risk?
It’s unknown whether Markieff’s aggression and violence stemmed from a bad fit in Phoenix or stimulation caused by the presence of his twin brother. Nonetheless, Morris has developed a reputation for himself in the league that will be hard to shake off.
All U Can Heat
Morris is currently set to make $8 million dollars per year until the 2018/19 season. The good news is that his outlandish behaviour has reduced his trade value. At this point, no team would be willing to give up major assets for Morris.
A viable trade that could occur between the Raptors and Suns would be switching Patterson for Morris. Phoenix would dump a player that doesn’t want to play for them anymore and would receive a soon-to-be starting power forward with a great motor.
If Masai Ujiri and his front office are adamant about trading for Morris, they could also include Terrence Ross to better convince the Suns.
All in all, Ujiri now knows Morris is on the market and simply needs to make the decision to either take the risk or let him go elsewhere.
Do you think the Raptors should trade for Markieff Morris? Tell me in the comments below.