Markieff Morris on 1st day of Suns camp: 'I want to be here'

Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris is saying all the right things during a time when he's actually been doing the complete opposite.

After spending the offseason moping following his twin brother Marcus' trade to the Detroit Pistons, the 26-year-old aired his grievances publicly by demanding a trade, for which he was subsequently fined $10,000.

It appears Morris has changed his stance, though, which he divulged during Suns media day Monday.

"I want to be here," Morris said, according to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro.

"I'm looking forward to the season, not really trying to look at the past. I don't really want to talk about what I did in the summer. I really want to look forward to this up-and-coming season. Glad to be back with my teammates and glad to be back with the team."

General manager Ryan McDonough was always of the belief that his starting power forward would at least attend training camp, with NBA.com's David Aldridge reporting Morris would show up to work, despite his differences with the franchise.

Related: Suns in no-win situation after fallout with Markieff Morris

Teammate Eric Bledsoe went to bat for Morris, defending his reputation in light of his offseason comments.

"I guess people got misled about him as a teammate," Bledsoe said. "He's a great teammate. He's like my brother."

Tyson Chandler, who signed a reported four-year, $52-million deal with the Suns in July, believes Morris and team officials can move past this dilemma in a positive way.

"I think all this stuff will be behind him," Chandler said. "This isn't the first time a player had miscommunication with management."

The Suns drafted Morris 13th overall in 2011, and he finished last season averaging 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds on 46.5 percent shooting, as Phoenix finished with a 39-43 record.

"The ultimate goal is to make the playoffs," Morris said. "It's not about me. It's about my teammates and the organization. I'm just looking forward to a great year and hopefully we can make the playoffs this year."