AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Marcus Morris said the Suns trading him without informing him was a “slap in the face.”
Really, he says his problems with the franchise run much deeper.
“I felt disrespected the entire time I was in Phoenix,” Morris said. “Even though I was playing well, I still didn’t feel like I had a real opportunity to grow. Anytime a team trades you away like that, it’s a slap in the face. I still feel disrespected, and I feel like I want to disrespect them.”
Morris will get that chance tonight, when his Pistons visit the Suns.
But this raises the question: Why did Morris sign a contract extension with Phoenix? He had been with the Suns more than a year-and-a-half when he and his twin brother, Markieff Morris, re-upped for $20 million over four years and $32 million over four years, respectively.
“It was really just to stay with my brother, because we wanted to play together,” Marcus said. “That was one of our main goals, and we wasn’t being greedy. A lot of players in this league, they stick, they stick, and they dig. They want all the money. And some of them are not even worth it. I thought just for us to stay together the next four years for $50 million was worth it to us. From where I come from, that’s a lot of money.”
As those contracts look team-friendly, a reporter suggested Marcus was good to the Suns.
“I was great to them,” he said. "…I let relationships overcome business, and that’ll never happen again. So, I’m learning from it. My brother’s learning from it. I’m going to continue to grow.”
Marcus seems happy starting in Detroit – a role he coveted in Phoenix. Markieff says he wants to be with the Suns after practically daring them to trade him.
But I’m not entirely convinced either has put this behind them. For better or worse, both are blunt and emotional – a combination that could lead to an interesting matchup tonight.