NBA Rumors: Washington Wizards Regret Markieff Morris Trade; Phoenix Suns Celebrate Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair Entry

By Mitch de Leon
NBA: Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards
Feb 19, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (R) talks with twin brother Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (L) prior to their game at Verizon Center. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports  Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA trade deadline has brought in interesting moves from the basketball teams. One of the most notable swaps involve the problematic Phoenix Suns and player Markieff Morris. Following a tumultuous start of the season, the NBA team finally found a way to divest themselves of the drama that the power forward brought with him. At this point, Morris has found a new home with the Washington Wizards. Meanwhile, the John Wall squad saw the departure of Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair. They also sent a protected first-round NBA draft pick to the Phoenix Suns.

However, sports analysts feel that the Washington Wizards gave up too much to acquire Morris. While the former Phoenix Suns star is a veteran and a notable power forward, the players and draft pick that were relinquished appear to be too high a cost. Moreover, the injuries and widely known behavior of Morris have raised concerns among the Washington Wizards fans.

"Morris not only had a bad reputation around the league, as he loafed through the first half of the season with a poor attitude, he is also facing aggravated assault for an off-court incident that occurred last January," noted Scott Davis of the Business Insider. Calling the decision a "foolish move" by the Washington Wizards, he added, "That other teams wouldn't give up players and a pick for Markieff shows Washington likely overpaid, even if Morris had played well leading up to the deadline and is on a long-term, team-friendly contract."

Sports analysts also point to the comments of Ryan McDonough following the completion of the NBA trade involving Morris. The Phoenix Suns general manager noted that the team succeeded in acquiring good players and a high 2016 NBA draft pick in exchange for the power forward. Given their deal with the Washington Wizards, it becomes apparent that the Phoenix Suns managed to snag a great agreement.

"At this time for our organization, for our fans and the community, it was time for a fresh start,"shared McDonough in an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. He added, "We're really excited to get a pick that has the potential to be in the late lottery and mid-first round in this year's draft."

The rift between the Phoenix Suns and Morris began in the NBA offseason when the basketball team decided to trade Marcus Morris to the Detroit Pistons. This was the time when a number of teams were aiming to free up enough cap space to potentially lure LaMarcus Aldridge. While the move was a typical one in the NBA, the twins called out the Phoenix Suns for failing to keep them in the loop.

According to the Morris brothers, they only found out about the deal when it was already finalized and Marcus had to be shipped out. Meanwhile, Aldridge eventually rejected the Phoenix Suns and signed up for the San Antonio Spurs. The actions of the Phoenix Suns then pushed Morris to call for a trade - a move that cost him penalties meted out by the NBA. Since then, both parties settled in an uneasy relationship.

"Any time a player has issues off the court combined with poor play, whatever the factors may be, injuries, it can make it a challenge [to trade that player]," shared McDonough. Addressing the root of the issues with Morris, the general manager took responsibility for the turn of events. He said, "We take responsibility for some of the things that have gone on or gone wrong. We put Markieff in a difficult situation by trading his brother, but at the same time we don't feel he handled it very well. I think that's probably an understatement."

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