Markieff Morris tweets he will not be returning to Phoenix Suns
Sep 3, 2015, 6:16 PM
Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris, left, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 89-79. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Markieff Morris has not backed off his stance.
The Phoenix Suns forward who in August went on the record saying he wanted to be traded has apparently not backed down from that stance, sending out the following tweet Thursday evening:
My future will not be in Phoenix…. #thatisall #backtothegrind #FOE
— Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) September 4, 2015
“FOE” stands for “Family Over Everything”, though nowadays that family does not seem to include the team that drafted him.
So far, however, the Suns have given no indication they plan to trade the forward. Last season, he started all 82 games and ranked third on the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game while grabbing 6.2 rebounds and dishing out 2.3 assists. The former No. 13 pick in the 2011 draft showed a penchant for making clutch shots, too, and seemed to be on his way toward establishing himself as one of the team’s building blocks.
However, he has dealt with some trouble off the court — most notably refusing to speak to the media following a win over Cleveland and a felony assault charge. The Suns traded Morris’ twin brother, Marcus, to the Detroit Pistons in order to help free up room to sign free agent LaMarcus Aldridge, leading some to think the Suns were ready to trade Markieff, too. Phoenix ended up missing out on Aldridge, which created a bit of an awkward situation.
The 26-year-old Morris is under contract through the 2018-19 season on a team-friendly deal that will pay him an average of $8 million per season.
