Counting down the hours to a Markieff Morris trade

Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris reacts to a call during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Just when it seemed former Kansas star Markieff Morris might be settling into a functional existence with Phoenix, his anger once again got the best of him last week.

Morris, who made it clear this past summer he wanted the Suns to trade him and later threw a towel at then-Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek during a game, turned his frustrations toward a teammate during a timeout in the Suns’ home loss to Golden State before the All-Star break.

Caught on camera and spewed out across social media platforms, Morris first argued with Phoenix guard Archie Goodwin, then shoved him to the bench.

What a nice reminder from Morris to the Phoenix front office that he is a disruptive presence. Though it might have been less damaging for him to just hold up a sign that read: Please trade me.

You’ve got to assume the Suns will gladly ship Morris away before Thursday’s trade deadline, even though Morris has played much better for Phoenix since the organization fired Hornacek and named Earl Watson the interim head coach.

In 5 games playing for Watson, Morris is averaging 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals. The fifth-year stretch forward hit 44.8% of his shots and 4 of 12 from 3-point range. Still, he capped that stretch with an on-court altercation with a teammate.

Obviously, Morris has the skills to help any number of teams. The question is, are other organizations willing to part with assets and/or players in order to attain someone with a history of giving his franchise headaches — remember, Markieff and twin brother Marcus were accused of assault in May of last year and that case has yet to be resolved in court.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/aug/04/morris-twins-attorneys-seek-new-grand-jury-assault/

It appears even some members of the Suns’ fan base have turned on the remaining Morris, who began angling for a way out of town when the team traded his brother to Detroit last summer.

Where does that leave Phoenix and its disgruntled, yet talented forward? Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Suns want a young player and a first-round draft pick in return for Morris. The report also reveals Phoenix does not intend to bring Morris back next season.

Wojnarowski also shared at least one Eastern Conference contender, Toronto, isn’t interested in Morris.

At this point, with the trade deadline getting closer by the second, it’s hard to rule out anything for Morris’ future — except, apparently, a trade to the Raptors. Morris might get traded while you’re reading this blog.

One potential landing spot for Morris could be Boston, according to csnne.com. Yahoo’s Chris Mannix predicted interest in the 6-foot-10 forward “is going to grow exponentially as we get closer to the trade deadline.”

The Celtics, unlike Phoenix, have a stable organization and, as the current No. 3 seed in the East, look like a team capable of winning a playoff series this spring.

LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers previously popped up in the trade rumor winds as a possible landing spot for Morris, but that idea seems to have died.

Keep your eyes on Twitter, though. We might see some news on Morris sooner than later, and it will be interesting to see what uniform he’ll be wearing the rest of the season.

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