The Phoenix Suns have one of the hottest players on the market as the trade deadline is approaching, and that is Markieff Morris. Since the offseason, Morris' relationship with the Suns has been tumultuous to say the least, and because of that, he has been in a lot of trade talks. The Suns are still looking to trade Morris, but they are asking for a pretty hefty price in return, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Multiple teams have reportedly tried to engage the Suns regarding a Morris trade, but they have said that a first-round pick has not been enough to acquire him. The Suns are reportedly looking for a first-round pick and a younger player in return for Morris. That is quite a high asking price for someone with character issues that they reportedly want to get rid of quite badly. It is extremely unlikely that any team gives the Suns what they are asking for, but it doesn't hurt for them to ask. With just a couple of days until the deadline, the Suns might decide to lower their asking price a little bit as a way of just getting rid of the problem.
Morris was recently involved in a scuffle with teammate Archie Goodwin on the bench during a game, and although they downplayed it, that incident shows the downside to trading for him. The good news in regards to Morris' trade value is the fact that he has played very well since Earl Watson took over as the Suns interim head coach. Watson said that Morris would be the focal point of the offense, and he has responded by scoring 14 points or more in his last five games, including a 30 point outburst.
Morris certainly has his problems, and trading for him would be a risk for whoever may acquire him, but Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic still expects him to be dealt. There are a lot of positives to acquiring Morris, including his team-friendly contract (three more years at $8 million) and the fact that he is a very good stretch four, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he is still garnerning interest depite his previous transgressions.
The Suns have a couple of days to swing a deal with another team, but in order to do so, they will likely have to lower their asking price. If the Suns can't get a deal done before the deadline, they always have the option of trading Morris this offseason, which may be a little easier. Phoenix has dealt with the headaches Morris has caused all season so far, so they can put up with it for a little bit longer if they don't find the right deal.
