Markieff Morris has been pursued by multiple teams since being waived and becoming a free agent, and reports say that he has decided on a new home. Shams Charania of the Athletic reports that Morris will sign to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rest of the season.
Markieff Morris had an aggressive market over the past week — with pursuits from the Thunder, Rockets, Nets, Raptors and several others. OKC received the commitment from Morris on Thursday.
Morris started the season with the Wizards in their starting lineup. However, a nagging neck injury has kept him our for an extended stretch causing the Wizards to trade him away. Morris was shipped to New Orleans where he was quickly waived and sent to free-agency. Morris has been a solid contributor for a playoff-level Wizards team since joining them in 2016 and was heavily pursued in free-agency. Reports says the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and several other teams were in the mix for Morris.
Oklahoma City will look to bolster their bench unit with he addition of Morris when he is cleared to return to action. The timetable for his return is still unclear, however the Thunder will be able to retain him for the playoffs by signing him before the deadline. Markieff will add versatility to their lineup with his defense, rebounding, and willingness to shoot from the power-forward position. Previous to his injury, Morris averaged 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while significantly increasing his career average in three-pointers attempted per game.
Markieff Morris is coming from a deteriorating Wizards team that finds itself ten games below .500 and near the bottom of the weak Eastern Conference. The new situation in Oklahoma City, alongside Russell Westbrook and MVP candidate Paul George, may be a welcome change of scenery and a transition back to winning basketball.
