The NBA trade deadline has passed and many of the rumors did not actually happen.
The one player that was most likely, or even should be traded, Markieff Morris, was almost stuck with the hapless Phoenix Suns, but he was traded to the Washington Wizards at the last hour.
It was definitely a risky move, to say the least as Morris has it all-a felony case, an incident with the coach and an actual confrontation on the team bench that was caught on video. SI.com's Andrew Sharp compared to ordering fugu, a poisonous Japanese fish.
The analogy was that fugu, if the chef cooks it the right way, is a real culinary experience, but if it's done wrong, the results are fatal.
"If Morris decides to play hard, the Wizards just got a sublime stretch four for John Wall, with three years left on one of the best contracts in the league," Sharp explained. "If he's a headcase who causes problems in the locker room-ahem then this dinner could go horribly wrong. And good news, the chef in charge is Randy Wittman!"
On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns were proclaimed as winners because of the deal. Markieff Morris is still a very talented player but his public trade demand diminished his trade value immensely, which is why the Suns did not deal him right away.
There were critics who said that the Suns held on for too long but the trade and its timing could only be judged by what they could get in return, and ESPN noted that Suns GM Ryan McDonough is pleased.
"We feel good about it," McDonough said. "Anytime you're able to acquire a draft pick that has a chance to be late lottery or mid-first round for a player that probably wasn't fitting in as well as he could have, we view that as a positive outcome for the franchise."
To be fair, they did not send out a bad player in terms of talent.
"I think Markieff will play well in Washington but I think for all parties involved it was time for a fresh start," McDonough said. "I think this trade hopefully will bring a breath of fresh air into our organization."The NBA trade deadline has passed and many of the rumors did not actually happen.