Markieff Morris has made it quite clear he is not happy with his situation in Phoenix and he has gone as far as demanding a trade. Morris reportedly is not speaking to anyone in the organization or any of his teammates in an effort to be dealt before the start of the 2015-16 season. This situation doesn't seem to be coming to an end anytime soon but Morris reportedly said that one team he would like to be dealt to is the Toronto Raptors, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports.
Morris' unhappiness with the Suns stems from them trading his twin brother Marcus without giving either of them any prior warning. The Morris twins felt disrespected by the organization they felt they gave a lot to. Markieff reportedly has said that he took much less money to remain in Phoenix when he signed a four year $32 million deal. Morris being dealt is not a foregone conclusion but it would probably be best for both sides if he is traded as he has clearly already checked out of being a Sun.
While Morris would likely be okay with a trade to any other team in the league the Raptors and the Houston Rockets were reported specifically because he is good friends with Raptors star Kyle Lowry and Rockets star James Harden.
A trade to the Raptors is an interesting thought because they don't necessarily have a need for Morris even after losing their starting power forward form last year, Amir Johnson, in free agency. Patrick Patterson is expected to start at the four for the Raptors and both he and the team think he is ready for that role. Luis Scola was brought in to come off the bench and will likely be Patterson's backup. The Raptors have also said they plan on going small more often this season which means new signing DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross will likely see at least some time at power forward.
Morris is a very good player and is coming off a great year, 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but a trade with Raptors seems unlikely. The Raptors are already over the cap so in order to be able to bring in Morris, who is set to make $8 million next season, the Raptors would have to shed salary and they are unlikely to do that especially at a position where they think they are set. Morris will be a nice addition if the Suns do decide to trade him somewhere but it remains to be seen if that's what they are going to do.
