ESPN: Suns get an ‘A’ for Morris trade
Feb 21, 2013, 4:34 PM | Updated: 5:01 pm
The Phoenix Suns swung a deal Wednesday, and while it is not exactly a “blockbuster” trade, it seems to be a pretty good one.
The trade which sent a future 2nd round pick to Houston in exchange for Marcus Morris, received an ‘A’ from ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton in an ESPN Insider (subscription only) piece.
Of the three power forwards in this (three-way) deal, Morris has the best three-year SCHOENE projection. If he keeps up his 38 percent shooting from 3-point range and can improve his strength to deal with bigger opponents, Morris has a chance to become a starter in this league. Getting such a player with two years left on his rookie contract for a second-round pick is excellent value. The only real downside from the Suns’ perspective is that they suddenly have two brothers and only one power forward position. Marcus planned to move to the perimeter as a pro, but he has been more effective since becoming a stretch 4 this season. As a result, he’ll battle twin brother Markieff for playing time. In the short term, Phoenix can make room for both by using Luis Scola as a backup center if Jermaine O’Neal is traded before the deadline.
Morris was drafted 14th overall in 2011, and was averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Rockets this season. The future second round pick has yet to be drafted and thus, has yet to put up any meaningful stats.
And whether or the 23-year-old Morris ever turns into an impact player in the NBA remains to be seen, but at the very least it’s hard to complain about the Suns landing a young player with some potential as cheaply as they did.
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