Markieff Morris: 'My future will not be in Phoenix'
The relationship between the Phoenix Suns and forward Markieff Morris has been turbulent all summer, and things took another awkward turn Thursday night when Morris tweeted about his situation.
While talk about Morris wanting out of Phoenix is nothing new, the straightforwardness of Thursday's tweet is a first in the months-long standoff between the two sides. Last week, it was reported that the Suns have no intention of trading him. This followed the 6-foot-10 power forward's proclamation to a reporter that he wasn't going back to the Suns.
Morris' unhappiness with the team stems from Phoenix's decision to trade his twin brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons in July. The twins signed four-year extensions with the Suns last year, and Marcus viewed his trade as a "slap in the face."
The twins have previously only played on different teams once in their entire basketball careers - Marcus was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2011 before being traded to the Suns to join Markieff in 2013.
Statistically, Markieff is the better player - last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while ranking ninth among all power forwards in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus metric.
Markieff has four years and $32 million left on his contract.