There are trade demands, and there’s what Markieff Morris continues to do ever since the Phoenix Suns traded his brother Marcus in July. Both of the Morrii felt disrespected by the trade, and Markieff has let it known, very publicly and very explicitly, that he doesn’t want to continue his career with the Suns. On Thursday, Morris’ insistence continued with this tweet.
My future will not be in Phoenix…. #thatisall #backtothegrind #FOE
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) September 4, 2015
It would be easy to bash the Suns for unceremoniously breaking up the twins when they both took pay cuts (well, really, Markieff took the pay cut) to stay together on the same team, or Morris for acting unprofessionally. In this case, it’s not that simple. The Suns were legitimate contenders to sign LaMarcus Aldridge, but in order to do so, they had to free up enough cap space to sign him to the max while also maintaining enough pieces to contend in the Western conference. That made Marcus a prime candidate to be traded, as he’s on a reasonable contract and an actual contributor.
The NBA is a business, but there’s an undeniable human aspect, too, such as breaking up brothers who sacrificed to stay on the same team. Markieff feels disrespected by the Suns moves, and while his outbursts may be unprofessional, at a certain point, there’s not much else he can do. He has the right to voice his displeasure, even if it gets him little. Right now, the Suns say they’re not going to give in to Markieff’s demand. However, if his displeasure seeps into the locker room and causes problems, the Suns may have no choice but to ship him elsewhere to salvage their chemistry.
(Via Markieff Morris)
