NBA rumors: Celtics among teams interested in a Markieff Morris trade

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The Boston Celtics parted ways with Marcus Morris after last season, and they reportedly are interested in acquiring his brother, Detroit Pistons forward Markieff Morris, before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported Wednesday that Morris is drawing interest from several contenders, including some of the Celtics' top competitors in the Eastern Conference. 

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The Celtics should target an offensive upgrade for their bench before the trade deadline. They enter Wednesday with the fourth-lowest scoring bench in the league.

Morris is averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in a bench role for the Pistons. He's also shooting 39 percent from 3-point range, which would help the Celtics. The ideal pickup for Boston would be a bench scorer with 3-point range, but there aren't many of them rumored to be available.

Another player who fits this mold is Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans, who the C's also reportedly have interest in acquiring.

Here's NBC Sports Boston Celtics insider Chris Forsberg's take on this Morris rumor:

Given that Boston’s biggest need is shooting, your eyes naturally land on Morris’ career-best 39.3 percent shooting beyond the arc this season. It’s a rather surprising number for a player that is shooting 34.4 percent from deep for his career. Morris has 24 games of playoff experience, too, the highlight being that Celtics-Wizards seven-game Royal Rumble during the 2016-17 season. While not quite as much of a ball-stopper as his twin brother, Morris still carries a hefty usage rate and an unsightly assist-to-turnover ratio. He add size but doesn’t block shots, doesn’t rebound well, and his defense is average at best. About the biggest appeal is his salary ($3.2 million), which makes it easier to make a deal for him. Ultimately, the Celtics could probably find a better bench fit at a similar cost.

The Pistons will be a team to watch as the trade deadline nears. Veteran point guard Derrick Rose also has been the subject of trade rumors.

Forsberg: Should C's stand pat or add a 'big' piece at deadline?

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of the NBA trade deadline. This Thursday at 2:30 p.m., stream the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline Show on the MyTeams app and on NBCSportsBoston.com. Then at 7 p.m., tune into our Celtics Trade Deadline Special.

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