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Washington Wizards: Why The Wizards Are A Good Fit For Markieff Morris

By Ben Mehic

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Not too long ago, the Washington Wizards were a haven for bad basketball players.

These players were not only miserable on the court, producing what seemed like an endless supply of losing seasons, but they weren’t the greatest people off the court.

Andray Blatche, Nick Young and JaVale McGee (I refuse to acknowledge Gilbert Arenas‘ role in the team’s dysfunction) were all once a part of Washington’s core. Of course, after multiple miserable years, Ernie Grunfeld and Co. finally decided to clean the house.

After John Wall and Bradley Beal fell into the team’s lap, Grunfeld acquired several proven, battle-tested veterans that helped change the culture.

Nene, Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza began the change, while the likes of Martell Webster, Marcin Gortat, Al Harrington among others have helped the team become one of the best in the Eastern Conference.

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As someone who’s followed the team for years, it’s honestly quite weird to see them finally operate properly.

With that said, the front office has built a team around a couple of young stars and veterans that are in their early 30’s.

A couple of playoff appearances and the acquisition of a handful of true locker room leaders has really shifted the direction of the franchise.

Like any professional team, however, the Washington Wizards have been weary of taking chances on players with potential character flaws after rebuilding their locker room.

Now that the team has formed a winning culture, that could potentially change in the near future.

According to multiple reports, including this one from Kieth Pompey of Philly.com, the Phoenix Suns’ Markieff Morris is demanding a trade:

"The Suns power forward said he feels disrespected by the way the team handled the July 9 trade of his twin and former teammate, Marcus Morris, to the Detroit Pistons. Now he is demanding a trade of his own.The North Philadelphia native, who starred with his brother at Prep Charter and Kansas, is determined to be dealt.“One thing for sure, I am not going to be there,” Morris said Tuesday after a morning workout at Competitive Edge Sports in King of Prussia.“If you want to put that out there, you can put that out,” he added. “. . . I am not to going to be there at all.”"

Reports surfaced that Markieff Morris wasn’t happy with the Suns after the team traded his twin brother to the Pistons, and at this point, a trade seems inevitable.

As Pompey noted, Morris signed a four-year contract extension with the Suns this past season, so I wouldn’t expect the team to waive him. Instead, they’ll look to find a new home for the scoring forward.

When I saw that Morris was demanding a trade, I immediately thought of the Washington Wizards as a potential destination.

At 6’10”, the 25-year-old former Jayhawk is exactly what the Wizards need.

This past season, Morris averaged just over 15 points and 6 rebounds per game while maintaining an above average player efficiency rating with the fast-paced Suns.

Even more importantly than the stats, Morris would fit right in with the small-ball offense that Randy Wittman and his staff plan on utilizing this upcoming season.

Washington failed to sign a prototypical stretch four this summer, even though that appeared to be atop their off-season checklist. Instead, they traded for Jared Dudley, who played the position with the Milwaukee Bucks, but is still a bit undersized and will miss some time following a back surgery.

Morris made roughly 32 percent of his three point attempts last season — a percentage that’s certainly not worthy of conversation amongst the league’s best shooters — but that percentage would undoubtedly increase in Washington.

John Wall has an unbelievable ability of turning decent shooters into marksmen. Just take a look at Ariza, Webster and Rasual Butler as examples. All three saw their three point percentages rise significantly and it’s not a coincidence.

Wall and Bradley Beal command the most attention on the team and the former also happens to be the best passer in the league.

Marcin Gortat is still one of the biggest pick-and-roll threats in the NBA, which would only open more opportunities for someone like Morris, who would camp out on the perimeter.

Some people will question his character and there would be a reason to be concerned.

Morris has looked bad on the court in certain instances (there’s, like, a 5 minute technical foul compilation video online) and his willingness to openly talk about wanting a trade is kind of weird too.

However, I’m willing to overlook his flaws as a player because the Washington Wizards have the right foundation for a player like Morris.

The Suns aren’t the Sacramento Kings, but they were dysfunctional this past season.

Their star player, Goran Dragic, wanted to leave and their inability to make the postseason only caused the frustrations to rise. Those aren’t excuses for Morris, but those variables would be taken out of the equation in Washington.

The Wizards are led by a well-respected, no-nonsense coach and players that are extremely unselfish. Putting Morris around those elements could help him develop, both on and off the court.

Morris needs a change of scenery and the Washington Wizards could provide that. With the salary cap rising, his $32 million contract will look like a bargain. Nene is on his way out and Morris would be more than capable of starting in Washington.

Markieff Morris wants out of Phoenix and he could probably be had for cheap at this point. At the very least, Grunfeld should make a phone call to the Suns.

Next: Otto Porter Is Ready To Meet High Expectations

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