The Phoenix Suns finally found a way to unload embattled forward Markieff Morris, shipping him to the Washington Wizards just minutes before the NBA trade deadline.
Morris was one of the top names of the deadline thanks to a wild ride that started in the offseason, but it’s Washington that came through and gave the Suns a way out, as reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Phoenix has traded Markieff Morris to the Wizards, reports @ShamsCharania and @WojVerticalNBA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 18, 2016
The Wizards send DeJuan Blair, Kris Humphries and future first-round pick to the Suns for Markieff Morris, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 18, 2016
Marc J. Spears followed with further details:
The Suns get a protected first round pick from Washington for Markieff Morris.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) February 18, 2016
Morris, 26, didn’t fit in with the Suns this year, going from a quiet Kansas product to a guy demanding a trade and getting suspended for throwing a towel at his coach, not to mention off-court issues. Most of the problems stemmed from the organization getting rid of his brother, so nabbing a first-round pick to improve team chemistry certainly qualifies as a win.
Call it a win for the Wizards, too. Washington sits 10th place in the Eastern Conference, but clearing out tradeable assets and getting a guy to push Nene Hilario at power forward makes plenty of sense. It looks even better in the long term if Morris responds well to a change of scenery and gets back to being the player who averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.
Everybody wins here, with Phoenix getting some breathing room and future assets and Washington hoping to do the same, if not pushing for the eighth slot in the conference.