After months of anguish, the Markieff Morris saga in Phoenix may finally come to an end.
The Toronto Raptors, who has been linked by Morris himself when he made the trade demand, have apparently shown real interest according to a tweet from ESPN's Marc Stein.
"Toronto, I'm told, also showing interest in Suns' Markieff Morris; PHX widely seen as a LOCK to do at least one deal before Feb. 18 deadline."
The Phoenix Suns have nothing to lose at this point as their playoff hopes may have been quashed. The team is in turmoil and it might be better for them to rebuild.
NBC noted that the recent upsurge in Markieff Morris might be a showcase to increase trade value. "The Suns are trying to showcase him more of late, and Morris dropped 30 points and grabbed 11 boards on Tuesday," NBC wrote.
Raptors Republic also opened the discussion on whom the Raptors would send in return. It might be a safe bet that draft picks are involved.
"Let's start here: The framework would most likely be Patrick Patterson and a pick for Morris," RR wrote. "If you're not of the mind Morris is a certain upgrade on Patterson, this rumor probably isn't for you. The Raptors' salary structure is such that it's really difficult to find a fair, workable deal without Patterson, and the Suns likely want more than to just be out of Morris' contract, given the lip service interim head coach Earl Watson has paid to nurturing Morris and making him the offensive focal point."
Whatever the Suns would say about Morris, it would be perceived as just a leverage play. It's been a long time coming, but somehow, someway, Markieff Morris' time in Phoenix is over.