Getty Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris.
Markieff Morris has donned many different uniforms during his 14-year NBA career. He even grabbed a 2020 championship ring. But this year’s Miami Heat team may be better than all of them.
Morris officially inked a one-year $2.6 million deal with Miami on Saturday. He was brought into provide veteran leadership for the Heat while serving as a spark off the bench. Morris (6-foot-8) is a switchable forward who can space the floor (think: bigger version of Jae Crowder), a luxury position in Erik Spoelstra’s system. Morris knows he can make an impact and spoke glowingly of joining the league’s newest “Dream Team.”
“This is like a Dream Team of playing with stars that play the right way all the time,” Morris told reporters, via NBA.com’s Couper Moorehead. “We fit. I’ve known Kyle [Lowry] almost my whole life, I’ve tried to team up with him a couple times. Me and Tuck [PJ Tucker] played a couple years in Phoenix, he’s one of my great friends. I’ve known Jimmy [Butler] a long time.”
Morris averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season for the Los Angeles Lakers while shooting 31.1% from three-point range. His 108.2 defensive rating in 2021, a new career best. He’s a better perimeter defender than lane clogger.
“We don’t have bulldogs that’s barking a lot, we got bulldogs that’s biting,” Morris told Moorehead. “We’re going to be defensive-minded first. That’ll be our DNA.”
Markieff Morris: The Heat isn’t for everybody. That was the first thing Spo said to me on the phone. I already know the culture. The entire NBA talks about the Heat culture. This is something I’ve wanted to be a part of for a long time. #HeatTwitter
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Morris Got Roasted for Game 5 Miscue in Finals
One mistake doesn’t make the man, but a Game 5 miscue in the Lakers-Heat NBA Finals stuck to Morris in 2020. The Los Angeles big man secured a rebound off a Danny Green miss and floated a pass inside to Anthony Davis but it sailed out of bounds. Morris could have kicked it back out to Green for another three-point attempt or send it over to an open LeBron James. The Heat won that game 101-98.
Morris vowed to avenge that gaffe in Game 6 and he did. The Lakers eventually won the series and took the Larry O’Brien Trophy in six games over the Heat.
Kyle Lowry Sign-and-Trade Graded
The NBA has launched a tampering investigation into the sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry. Heat executives face possible suspensions and fines over the ordeal. But the move itself has been generating positive reactions as it positions the Heat to be a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Bleacher Report graded the Lowry acquisition an A and wrote the following:
Miami gets a proven champion at the point to play along with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and a very solid roster. Lowry, 35, is older, but he is joining a team for which he won’t have to do too much but will have the ability to rise to the occasion in close playoff games and series. The $30-million-a-season price tag is worth paying.
Reporting with @RamonaShelburne on ESPN: The NBA has opened up investigations into possible tampering violations involving two sign-and-trade deals completed in free agency: New Orleans and Chicago centered on Lonzo Ball, and Toronto and Miami centered on Kyle Lowry. Story soon.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated called Lowry a perfect fit in South Beach and a “home run” in this evaluation:
This right here is a home run for an organization that’s desperate to win at the highest level. Even if Lowry takes a slight age-related step back, his defensive intelligence, selfless approach and outside shot will be perfect beside Butler and Bam Adebayo. This is a bona fide contender, with more trade chips on deck should they want to make another win-now move.
Kyle Lowry Explains Decision to Sign With Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler Relationship & Raptors Legacy
On Heat culture: “Been told it’s all about winning”
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