Rumor: Markieff Morris Likely Cavs Target

Markieff Morris seems readily available and, according to Brian Windhorst, a likely trade target for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Windhorst, on TrueHoop TV with Amin Elhassan, talked about the type of players the Cavs could be interested in and mentioned Markieff Morris as a likely target of the best in the Eastern Conference. Windhorst mentioned the Cavs looking for a matchup for Draymond Green which led to the discussion about Morris.

(Make sure you follow my man @PChopz_ on Twitter who got this information to me, knowing my love for trades and Morris to the Cavs.)

You can listen to the entire Podcast here. He notes the problem the Cavs have playing Kevin Love against the Warriors on defense and what they lose on offense when playing Tristan Thompson. He talks about Morris in relation to the Cavs ability to play against the Golden State Warriors.

We have probably covered the possibility of trading for Morris more than any other player. That has been for a variety of reasons:

Morris is a talented big man.
He is readily available due to his attitude issues.
LeBron James helped J.R. Smith play team basketball and defense, he can control Markieff.
The Cavs don’t have a backup power forward.
- Tristan Thompson is a center (now starting) as is Anderson Varejao.
- James Jones isn’t really a big man, though he can stretch the floor.
Morris is on a reasonable contract for the next couple of years.
The Cavs have very few ways to add talent over the next few years.
The Cavs have the biggest Traded Player Exception (TPE) in the NBA.

For the Suns, trading Morris makes sense at this point. He has been benched and suspended. His trade value is very low but his attitude is very impactful. They are unlikely to find many teams that A) Want Morris, B) Have the cap ability to trade for Morris and C) Believe they have the culture to keep Morris focused.

No other team has a TPE big enough to trade straight for Morris. He wants to play with his brother in Detroit but only Brandon Jennings straight up, or trading a couple of players the Suns wouldn’t want on their cap, would work. Jennings would just add to the log jam at point guard before leaving in free agency. His attitude has been a concern in the past as well.

Other contending teams, with solid cultures, may be interested as well. The Warriors could trade seldom-used Jason Thompson, and scraps, for Morris but he has another year on his deal, worth over $7 million, that could scare off the Suns. The Spurs don’t need another big man at this point and would struggle to combine the right salaries and players to get Morris.

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In the East, the Hawks don’t have the leadership, the Bulls haven’t figured out their big man rotation as it is and the Raptors may not want to spoil their fast start on a malcontent.

That isn’t to say that a trade for Morris will be easy. The Suns, and other teams, know they have very little leverage. They have to decide what they value. Do they just want to get rid of the headache Morris has been for the team while not adding salary? Perfect for the Cavs. Do they push to get the 2018 first rounder or Cedi Osman from the Cavs? Might be worth the risk.

Either way, looks like Markieff Morris could be a Cleveland Cavaliers player by the NBA Trade Deadline, then we can write more stories about him.