Veteran free agent power forward Markieff Morris is under consideration as a reserve acquisition for the Sixers in addition to the Nets, writes Marc Stein in a new article for Substack.
Stein notes that the 32-year-old was known to be a vocal locker room presence while on a star-studded 2019/20 championship-winning Lakers club, and could be a good fit for a Brooklyn team fielding several at-times angsty superstars.
Morris missed most of his 2021/22 season with the Heat due to a major neck injury after entering the season as a key reserve. In his 17 available regular season games with Miami, Morris averaged 7.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.4 APG. The 6’9″ big man out of Kansas posted a shooting line of .474/.333/.889.
Here’s more from Stein:
- As the Hornets consider reserve point guard options behind developing All-Star LaMelo Ball, the team has broadened its list of potential targets to include former Suns point guard Elfrid Payton, according to Stein. Isaiah Thomas, who fulfilled the role adequately last season, is still being looked at, as is Pistons point guard Kemba Walker, a three-time All-Star while with Charlotte whom Stein expects to be bought out of his current deal.
- The Lakers‘ 2027 and 2029 first-round draft selections, along with the expiring contract of incumbent point guard Russell Westbrook, could be used to help complete a three-team Donovan Mitchell trade for the Jazz, either with the Knicks or even another suitor. Stein writes that the draft picks could hold significant appeal for Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who earlier this summer received quite a bounty in future draft equity as part of his blockbuster deal that shipped former Utah All-Star Rudy Gobert out to the Timberwolves.
- Stein cautions that the Lakers, who leveraged a lot of future draft picks in their trade for Anthony Davis, remain fairly protective of the 2027 and 2029 picks. Given that L.A. is fielding a team with (currently) three maximum-salaried veterans all with at least 10 years of experience, one would expect the club to very much be in win-now mode, but the team only wants to make a move if it values the returning players as being worth the sacrifice. Stein defines that as players who can help the team return to its standing as a championship contender, following a disappointing 33-49 season that saw the Lakers on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in.
Edwards is better than Lamelo all day!!! I don’t see him leading this team to the playoff. Bouknight has been disappointing so far.
Hornets should swap Lamelo with SGA straight up.
100% agree!
Edwards Is a notch below Lamelo. And any GM that trades Lamelo for SGA straight up would lose their job.
Lakers have two parts of the game
Present – win now mode
2022-2026
Future – lakers fans want future?
2026-2030
Lakers are in deep deep trouble if Westbrook is not traded away by January
It’s possible Lakers are not able to make playoffs
Hurry up, man
You can’t sit $47 million for nothing
Westbrook won’t be in a Laker uni this season. If they don’t trade him they will sit him. Sad reality is that they are a better team without him on the court
So would the LAL accept a Randle/Cam/Mcbride deal, and just give up ONE 1st rd pick?
Absolutely yes
Rose would want
1 unprotected
1 top 10 protected
Taking Westbrook contract is already 1 unprotected First
Let’s face it when have the Lakers really ever been helpful?
Morris needs to go the Nets he would fit in fine with the all WHINE team. Simmons, Durant, Cryree, and Waaaa Waaaaa they traded my brother Morris.
Lakers are irrelevant. LeHelp and Rich Paul wrecked the franchise.
Players no matter how good they are should stay in their lane and let the GMs do their job. MJ did not dictate any trades to Jerry Krause yet they won 6 championships.
Todays players are so entitled and think that the world revolves around them. All they do is complain when they got it pretty good.
Although the moves that LeBron has pushed for haven’t worked out, he’s never failed to play out one of his contracts or demanded a trade. I agree that the GM’s job is to make the best decision for a franchise despite what the star players want. But, LeBron isn’t the first player to have a say in how a team’s roster is constructed. If you don’t think that MJ was behind the scenes talking with Krause about his supporting cast you’re naive. With that being said, I’m not a fan of Klutch Sports overall and am hoping that trading for Westbrook is the deal that will put an end to the Lakers front office blindly listening to LeBron. So far I’m liking the moves we’ve made and if we can get rid of Westbrook and only sacrifice one of our future 1st round picks I’m good with it.
Input vs demanding…
So, the Lakers picks are being traded for Jordan, Kobe and Chamberlain? That’s some good GM work.
So, tell me again how the lakers made the right choice by letting Alex Caruso walk. I remember Rob explained that $10M in luxury tax on top of his $10M salary would be too much to pay. But then he acquired Westbrook at $47M and TWO years of term.
I don’t see how the lakers could be both cheap about avoiding the luxury tax and profligate in spending by bringing in Westbrook
And now the only path forward is to acquire high priced players and sacrificing all available 1st round picks in the decade.
Man that $10M seems insignificant compared to the mess they’re in now. Not only that but AC would help any roster they could possibly build now.
Seems like a 3-team deal is the only way the Jazz and Knicks make a deal. Too many expectations from both sides.
Need that 3rd team to be offering draft picks more than young players, unless they fit the rebuild. Yes, if Donovan goes then I agree they’re in a rebuild. The only way it isn’t is if they’re bringing back another budding all-star or two in a bigger trade with Jazz vets included.
I wonder how much can be achieved with the DM though, if he stays. It’d be interesting to see. Probably notmuch.