McDonough expects Markieff to play for the Suns next year

In the heat of the Phoenix Suns pursuit of free agent LaMarcus Aldridge, the Suns made another move that left many to question what the future is for Markieff Morris.

On Thursday, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough answered that question when he told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s Bickley & Marotta that Morris is very much a part of the team’s future.

“I thought that he was one of our best players last year. It’s unfortunate with some of the things that happened with incidents with the officials and the off the court stuff,” McDonough said. “It distracted from just how well he played. If you go and look at the clutch numbers — his stats in close games — late in the game. They were just as good as anybody in the league.”

Last year Morris was the Suns third leading scorer with 15.3 points per game behind Goran Dragic’s 16.2 ppg and Eric Bledsoe’s 17.0 ppg. However, he was also involved in some controversy off the court when he felt the fans were not behind the team in March and when he and his brother Marcus were charged in April with aggravated assault.

Last week his future in Phoenix came into question after the Suns traded Marcus along with Danny Granger and Reggie Bullock to the Detroit Pistons in an effort to free up cap space to land Aldridge.

It was a move that Markieff appeared to not favor when he tweeted, “Lol this a foul game here man.”

“I understand there is an emotional bond between those two and they are very close,” McDonough said. “But this is a move that we decided to make independently of whether or not we got LaMarcus Aldridge.

“I think over time, it will be the best thing for Markieff. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t see it now and I understand that these things are emotional especially when they are fresh. I think over time it will help him as a player and a person. I think it will be a great opportunity for Marcus as well. I think he has a chance to be the starting forward for the Pistons.”

The Suns acquired Marcus in a trade with the Houston Rockets in February 2013 and he signed a contract extension just before the start of last season.

The 25-year-old Markieff was a first round selection by the Suns in 2011 with the 13th pick. In four seasons, the 6-foot-10, 245lb power forward has averaged 11.4 ppg and 5.4 rebounds a game

“He’s a versatile player. He can play inside or out and handle the ball and shoot. I feel bad that some of the off court stuff overshadowed his performance,” McDonough said.