Getty Caleb Martin #16 and Markieff Morris #8 of the Miami Heat box out Jahlil Okafor #14 of the Atlanta Hawks
The Brooklyn Nets’ offseason just got better following Kevin Durant rescinding his trade request. The superstar met with team governors Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, Sean Marks, and Steve Nash with his agent, and all sides were able to negotiate a way for Brooklyn to retain its 12-time All-Star forward. Prior to the Durant news, the Nets had already had a sneaky good offseason acquiring Royce O’Neale, TJ Warren and finding a way to keep Kyrie Irving on the team for the final year of his contract.
Brooklyn will also see the return of Ben Simmons and Joe Harris from injury, which will only help bolster its roster. The Nets also have remaining roster spots to add other key players. They are known to want to add a big man and have been linked to Hassan Whiteside, Dwight Howard, and even Carmelo Anthony. However, a name that continues to emerge with interest from the Nets is Markieff Morris.
Nets ‘Most Serious’ to add Free Agent Markieff Morris
Brooklyn was first linked to Morris last week shortly after the Durant news came down, and in his August 28 column NBA Insider Marc Stein named the Nets the ‘most serious’ team in pursuit of the Heat star. They aren’t alone though. The Philadelphia 76ers are also said to have interest.
“The Nets indeed have registered the most serious interest in signing Markieff Morris, league sources say, but Philadelphia has also explored the feasibility of signing the Philly native. Brooklyn, in particular, has a need for a veteran who can command the respect of mercurial stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Is Morris, who turns 33 on Sept. 2, that player? Word is he was not afraid, in his time as a Laker, to speak his mind in a locker room that housed James and Anthony Davis,” Stein wrote.
Stein states that the Nets are looking for a respected veteran that can slide in with Durant and Irving, and because of how Morris performed with the Los Angeles Lakers, he could be a good fit on the Nets roster going into the season.
Morris was a serviceable big man off of the Heat bench last season, averaging 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 17 appearances for the Heat. The veteran was set to be a solid rotation player in Miami before battling injuries for the remainder of the season. If healthy, Morris could be a steady contributor to the Nets or Sixers rotation.
Morris Championship Winning Veteran Presence
Adding Morris brings a quality veteran presence to wherever he lands. The forward has spent 11 years in the league and has been on playoff teams in each of the last six years, including his championship-winning 2020 season with the Lakers. His toughness and experience could be a positive addition to the teams he lands on.
One of the positions that Brooklyn was lacking in their playoff run was a forward. Brooklyn had Nic Claxton as a backup center, but other than that had, Goran Dragic playing forward in postseason minutes before Blake Griffin got some playing time before the team was eliminated.