Markieff Morris has been out of action for more than a month as a result of a neck injury and, in the recent past, the veteran forward was traded from the Washington Wizards to the New Orleans Pelicans. Since then, Morris found himself back on the free agent market after the Pelicans, now outside the playoff picture, elected to waive him, but it now appears as if the 29-year-old will have a few options to choose from when attempting to play down the stretch.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports brings word that the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets have interest in Morris and, with that in mind, Morris has now been “cleared to play” following a visit with Dr. Robert Watkins. It comes as no surprise that this trio of teams would show interest, as all three could use more bodies for a playoff push.
The Lakers are a natural landing spot in some ways, with the need for quality depth and the link between Morris’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and the organization. Beyond that, reports indicate that the Raptors are firmly in acquisition mode after adding Jeremy Lin from Atlanta, and the Rockets have a well-chronicled depth issue as they approach the stretch run.
It will be interesting to see how Morris fares as he returns from injury but there is reason to believe he can help a contender at 100 percent and it hasn’t been long since the veteran was widely considered a starting-caliber player. Now, he’ll have the opportunity to prove it and he’ll likely be able to do so under the bright lights of the postseason.
