According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the LA Clippers have expressed interest in Detroit Pistons forward Markieff Morris.
Flying somewhat under the radar in comparison to his twin brother in New York, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reports that the Lakers, LA Clippers, Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics have all expressed interest in the availability of Detroit’s Markieff Morris.
Markieff Morris is currently posting averages of 11PTS/3.9REB/1.5AST in 22.5 minutes per game. Morris is actually shooting a very respectable 39.3% from three on 4.2 attempts per game, which would go down as a career-high for him if he manages to keep it up for the rest of the season. Prior to these last few months in Detroit, Morris has spent time in Oklahoma City, Washington, and Phoenix.
Compared to his brother, Marcus, Markieff’s per-36 minutes’ numbers aren’t all that far off. Markieff putting up 17.6PTS/6.2REB/2.5AST while Marcus (who already plays 32 minutes per game) puts up 21.8PTS/6REB/1.5AST per 36. Their roles are a bit different with their respective teams, though. Markieff would likely see a little less change in the way he operates with the Clippers, slotting perfectly into the Harkless role. Although not as much of a defensive stopper, Morris is used to working off the ball, setting screens, and knocking down open shots when the ball finds him, ideally at a higher rate than Moe. (Shoutout to Joey Linn and Leo Saldana for a bit of Piston’s insight)
Marcus Morris and the Knicks have everyone's attention, but the Pistons have also received calls from multiple contenders for his brother, Markieff Morris.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 5, 2020
The Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics are among those teams interested in Markieff Morris, per league sources.
While the Knicks appear to be commanding a fairly steep asking price for Marcus Morris‘ services (Landry Shamet being a sticking point for the Clippers in particular), a pivot to Markieff should lessen the cost quite a bit for the Clippers. Quite literally costing significantly less than his brother, currently on a two year, $6,560,000 contract with the second year being a player option.
The Clippers could theoretically make this work a few ways, given their own pieces. A package centered around Moe Harkless would require the that the Pistons aggregate salary in their return to the Clips–likely including one of Derrick Rose or Langston Galloway. The Clippers could also trade Jerome Robinson for Morris straight up. A pick probably gets thrown into any Jerome trade scenario, as well. There are a few other ways that a trade for Markieff could work, but because of the players involved, those two seem the most likely.
Regardless of which package the Clippers decide to send out, they’ll be adding size and spacing that overall should provide the squad with an upgrade. A move that didn’t include any of their current bigs would give the Clippers the ability to field seriously big lineups without much drop-off in shooting, which just as a concept is pretty fun to think about.
After losing out on Robert Covington, and the Knicks being the Knicks, the Clippers may have to get creative at the trade deadline. A trade for Markieff Morris wouldn’t necessarily break the internet, but it would certainly make things interesting.