The NBA trade rumors still host a familiar name in Markieff Morris, but even if the Suns decide to deal, Morris is not helping his team out.
It seems like a given that Markieff Morris really wants out of Phoenix despite his statements at the start of the season. He was recently suspended following another incident involving Coach Jeff Hornacek. The official statement from the Suns (h/t CBS).
"The Phoenix Suns have suspended forward Markieff Morris for two games for conduct detrimental to the team. Morris will serve the suspension in the Suns' next two games, Dec. 26 vs. Philadelphia and Dec. 28 vs. Cleveland."
The Suns did not want to trade Morris during the offseason as they would get lowballed by other teams knowing they didn't have any leverage. They wanted to show that Morris was alright and trade from a position of equal footing with any team.
However, any hopes that they may still trade Markieff at fair value seems to have been quashed after this recent episode. According to NBC, teams that have been rumored to take an interest are now backing off.
"The Pelicans were never going to trade Ryan Anderson for Morris," NBC revealed. "Likewise, the Rockets weren't dealing Terrence Joes for Morris. Those productive players could be part of a larger deal, but Phoenix would have to send out additional positive pieces."
There are other players in the Suns that the Pelicans or Rockets would covet. The Pelicans need a scorer/shooter while the Rockets are hungry for a point guard. The Suns have guys like rookie Devon Booker and Brandon Knight but they would not waste them just to get rid of Morris.
As pointed out in the article, the Suns would rather waive Morris' contract using the stretch provision. If Morris wants to be traded to a decent team, he needs to cooperate and show his value to hasten the process.