NBA Trade Rumors: Markieff Morris To Detroit Pistons To Reunite With Marcus?
Markieff Morris is continuously being linked to several teams after the Phoenix Suns forward expressed desire to be traded before the start of the 2015-16 NBA season.
Morris made a trade request because he felt disrespected after the Suns moved his twin brother, Marcus, to the Detroit Pistons. Markieff might eventually find himself reunited with Marcus in Detroit.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors thinks the Washington Wizards are the ideal landing spot for Markieff, but the Pistons are also in the race. Aside from the possible reunion between the Morris twins, he said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy loves utilizing power forwards who can shoot from the outside.
"The Wizards would make an intriguing destination. So would the Pistons, given Stan Van Gundy's affinity for stretch fours," Myron wrote. "Detroit, of course, is where Marcus Morris is, and it would surely please both of them to no end if they could be reunited."
However, Myron pointed out that Van Gundy might decide not to offer an attractive package to the Suns for Markieff. First, they have already acquired Ersan Ilyasova in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the offseason, and second, Markieff is not as deadly as the stretch fours Van Gundy handled before.
It should also be noted that the Suns might not be willing to arrange a reunion between the Morris twins, especially after Markieff publicly expressed desire to be traded. Marcus also took a swipe at the Suns following his departure.
But despite the uncertain future of Markieff in Phoenix, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek is still hoping that he can fix the situation when he goes face-to-face with their starting power forward in training camp.
"It's a case of hopefully he can get here and we can all talk to him," Hornacek told AZ Central. "I think, once he gets here with the players, maybe the players can help with that regard and realize that probably, like anything else, it happens when you might not be happy with the organization."
Markieff, who was the 13th overall pick of the Suns during the 2011 NBA Draft, will be playing in the first season of the four-year extension worth $32 million he signed last year. The 26-year-old forward is coming off the best season of his career. The former Kansas standout averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 82 games last season.
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