Markieff Morris Back On Market? Cavs Chance?
Markieff Morris could be back on the market. Do the Cleveland Cavaliers stand a chance at acquiring him?
Live Feed
The Smoking Cuban
We have written about Markieff Morris a number of times this offseason. The problem child of the Phoenix Suns was thought to be on the market this offseason.
It made sense. He had a legal situation off the court that was/is concerning. The Suns traded his brother, Marcus Morris, after the two agreed to a “below” market deal to play together. His relationship with his head coach was reportedly strained as well.
This led Grantland to write this great piece about The Curious Case of Markieff Morris which included this:
"That creates an opportunity for some smart team to leap into the bidding, take a shot on Morris at a slight discount, and see if it can unlock his potential as something more than a run-of-the-mill big man — all while taking on Year 1 of what could be an absurd contract."
Obviously Morris wasn’t moved and now, about a quarter of the way through the season, it seems like he might be back on the block:
ESPN sources say the Houston Rockets have trade interest in Markieff Morris, who was a DNP-CD in the Suns' narrow loss Sunday to Memphis
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 7, 2015
Morris sitting an entire game is a surprise. For the season, the 6’10” Morris is averaging 26 minutes a game, playing in only 17 of the team’s 21 games. He is third on the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game while chipping in 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists with a lowly 9.9 PER. He is shooting a career low 39% from the field and a paltry 28% from long range while shooting the most threes of his career.
The Suns currently are 8-13, the 11th place in the Western Conference. The addition of Tyson Chandler hasn’t helped as much as they hoped and now they might be looking to change things up. Sitting Morris might be the first domino that leads to him with another team. Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be that team? They don’t have many trade assets but few teams that would take on Morris do. The Houston Rockets were noted to have some interest but have Salary Cap related issues…
Teams like Houston who are hard capped will need to be creative. Rockets only 1.4m below the apron and can not exceed 88.74m threshold.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 7, 2015
… that could get in their way. They also have traded away a lot of their assets, most recently in the Ty Lawson deal where they dealt away a 1st Round Pick in 2016.
If the Suns were to move Morris they would likely be seeking some help now, some help later and some salary relief. The Cavs could presumably do all three, at different levels.
The Suns can use the veteran presence of Varejao to pair with and substitute for Chandler on the defensive end. His solid midrange game would also be helpful for the backcourt scoring provided by Eric Bledsoe and Brendan Knight. Harris can possibly develop into a shooter while Osman, either a SG or SF prospect, and the 1st Round pick provide long term value.
For the Cavs, this is a risky use of two of their final trade assets. Morris gives them an offensive minded big man to pair with Tristan Thompson off the bench. His ability to score and pass will be valued by the Cavs and his attitude, and lack of effort on the defensive end, will run into LeBron James. Morris is also under contract for a few years, giving the Cavs another young player to add to their core.
The Lawson trade was very similar. The Rockets dealt a handful of random players, some with value but none with a high ceiling, a protected 1st Round pick and some cash to Denver for Lawson and a 2nd Rounder. Both Lawson and Morris have issues that drove their price down.
The Cavs have very few ways to add more talent to the roster. Taking on a talented, but troubled, player from another team is one way to do that.
What do you think about Markieff Morris to the Cavs?