The downward spiral of the Phoenix Suns over the last year was partially linked to Markieff Morris. A thread of incidents involving Morris, his teammates, and head coach at the time Jeff Hornacek turned him into a bad apple in Phoenix.
Morris was traded to the Washington Wizards in February for a first-round pick. He played against his former team last night for the first time and played well, scoring 21 points. Here’s what Morris said prior to the game in regards to his situation in Phoenix, via Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic:
“I always felt free to play. It was just tough to do certain things with no trust and play for people that you really don’t trust.”
“I ain’t getting into that but I’m happy where I am now,” Morris said. “I look back on the happy years I had here. It was definitely a great time.”
Morris, 26, spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the Suns. When the team traded his twin brother, Marcus, to Detroit last summer, Markieff asked for a trade. The Suns had since traded Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas essentially for draft picks, and Marcus Morris was part of GM Ryan McDonough’s clean-out to pursue LaMarcus Aldridge last summer.
On the surface, it appeared as if Morris would be considered as part of the Suns core in the near future. The problem was he made it clear enough times that he wasn’t interested in sticking around. Morris changed coasts and joined a Wizards team that is on the outside looking in of playoff contention, but given his versatility, he should have a similar opportunity with the team going forward.
Former teammate Archie Goodwin attested to seeing a difference in Morris’ demeanor with his new team:
“I know he’s happy now,” Goodwin said. “I love seeing that from him because when I saw him upbeat, he was one of the hardest guys to stop in the league. You can see how he has a little more pep in his step when he’s playing. He’s a lot more interactive with teammates. Sometimes, where you are is not the best place for you, for your happiness. It was just not a good place for him here but he’s in a situation where he’s a lot happier and he’s continuing to improve and I’m proud to see it.”
The Wizards are now 12-11 when Morris has played. His averages of 11 points and 5 rebounds is nearly identical to what he was producing in Phoenix.
