The biggest move during Thursday's NBA trade deadline came from the Washington Wizards, who swapped their first-round pick and two role players for the mercurial Markieff Morris. Now, the Wizards are just hoping they know what they're getting into.
The Wizards’ big gamble hinges on which Markieff Morris they get
Morris has proved temperamental and uncontrollable throughout his NBA career, but he’s also very talented. Whether he’ll work out in Washington is anybody’s guess.
Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
There's a lot of reasons that the Morris trade makes sense. Morris is 26 years old, and until this year, has taken strides forward every season since he entered the league. His age fits right in with the young core the Wizards have built, with John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter locking down the perimeter. His four-year deal for about $8 million a season could also look great when the salary cap rises.
The Wizards have been in need of a more physical power forward, too, as the 33-year-old Nene morphs more into a bench player and Washington implements a quicker small-ball approach. Morris isn’t a great three-point shooter, but he’ll take a couple per game and make them at a good enough clip to keep defenses honest. Really, if Morris can be anything like he was last season, where he played all 82 games for Phoenix while scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds on 46.5 percent shooting, then he’s a steal.
But -- and of course there’s a but -- Morris has warts. Major, ugly, glaring ones.
That's why he was available this cheaply and that's why anyone associated with Washington should be reasonably cynical that Morris will work out as well as it looks like he might on paper. Markieff and his twin brother Marcus are both currently involved in a legal dispute for an alleged aggravated assault case, and the duo did seemingly everything in their power to work their way out of Phoenix. This timeline sums up everything that led to the Suns trading Marcus Morris last summer and breaking up the duo.
On the court, Morris has been in and out of the rotation this year, coming off the bench 13 times and sitting out 17 more games. A few minor injuries held him out, but so did a two-game suspension after throwing a towel that hit then-coach Jeff Hornacek. After that, Hornacek just refused to play him some nights until he was fired in late January. Just a week ago, Morris got into a very visible argument with teammate Archie Goodwin during a timeout, although no punishment came of it.
The Wizards certainly did their homework, calling former teammates and coaches before signing off on the deal. Washington understands Morris’ volatile temperament can get him in trouble and is aware of the current legal troubles surrounding him.
But knowing is one thing; being able to prevent it is another. Despite what the Wizards knew when they made the trade, and regardless of what they might do to try and accommodate him, the final outcome of the Morris trade may be totally out of their hands.
That’s a big gamble to make. The first-round pick Washington traded to Phoenix is top-nine protected, meaning they have insurance in case something goes hugely awry -- think John-Wall-injury awry. But it doesn’t have full lottery protections, and right now, Washington is only the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, they’d hand Phoenix the No. 12 pick.
For this gamble to work, then, they must improve. They're betting that Morris fits in immediately and without repercussions, assuaging the added emphasis on small ball and helping the Wizards make the playoffs, even if it might be the eighth-seed funeral pyre that is a first-round matchup against the Cavaliers.
A playoff push, a solid second half, another young, talented player -- that all gives Washington something besides "you were born here" to pitch to Kevin Durant this coming offseason. They can still offer Durant a max contract and have $5 million left over before re-signing Beal with his Bird Rights. And if Durant won't come, there's a few other free agents who could fit, such as Al Horford or maybe even Hassan Whiteside.
But that’s all assuming that the plan on paper works out rationally and reasonably, and nothing about Markieff Morris’ last two years suggests that’s how he operates. Whether the disgruntled forward can rediscover his game without off-court theatrics is totally up to him. That’s the risk Washington is taking.
The Wizards believe this will work. They believe Morris is a gamble that will pan out, lead them to the playoffs and push into free agency with momentum on their side. At least, they hope so. If the gamble doesn’t work, what next?
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