Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/23/16

The trade deadline deal that sent Markieff Morris to the Wizards brought to a close to the unhappy relationship between the power forward and the Suns organization. The bad blood between the two sides had begun last summer with the trade that sent Marcus Morris, Markieff’s twin brother, to the Pistons. The siblings had inked rookie scale extensions mere months earlier with designs on playing alongside one another, a dream that was scuttled with Marcus heading east.

But it wasn’t merely the notion of playing for different teams that upset the brothers, Marcus told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher recently. “Everybody thinking that we’re upset because we don’t get to play with each other,” Marcus said. “Kieff can’t deal with adversity? We’re from north Philadelphia. This isn’t adversity. This is betrayal.” The alleged betrayal that Morris refers to is that of Suns team owner Robert Sarver, who had maintained a close relationship with the twins, not providing them with any advance warning that one was about to be traded, according to Bucher’s article.

Today’s topic for discussion is not about the Morris twins directly, but rather about their argument that they should have been informed prior to the deal being consummated. Do franchises owe it to players to inform them they are about to be dealt?

The majority of us can’t fathom earning what NBA players do, so it is sometimes easy to discount the human element involved in any form of player movement. Don’t forget that many of these players have families whose lives are impacted by trades and that isn’t a trivial concern. Keeping this in mind I can certainly empathize with the Morris twins, though I don’t necessarily agree with how they have conducted themselves since Marcus became a Piston. The flip side to this argument is that any deal between two or more teams is a fragile thing that is never officially done until the trade call with the league office is complete. What if a player who was told he was about to be traded took to social media to express his feelings about the pending deal? This is something that could kill the negotiations or make them significantly more difficult to complete.

What do you have to say on the matter? Are you of the opinion that because of their exorbitant salaries, NBA players aren’t owed any warning or input when they are being discussed in a potential trade? Or do you sit on the other side of the fence and believe that teams owe it to players to keep them 100% in the loop regardless of any potential secrecy risks? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

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