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UPDATE: Feb. 21, 5:37 p.m. — Morris plans to sign with the Lakers, per Shams Charania. This is the least surprising news of the day. There was immediate speculation that Morris would join Los Angeles and it only took about two hours for it to happen. Markieff adds some toughness and depth in the front court. He’s versatile enough to play SF, PF and C in some lineups for L.A.
Markieff Morris plans to sign with Lakers, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2020
UPDATE: Feb. 21, 3:58 p.m. — The Pistons made the buyout official.
OFFICIAL: The Pistons and Markieff Morris have reached an agreement to buy out the veteran forward’s contract. The Pistons have requested waivers on Morris.
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 21, 2020
All the best moving forward, @Keefmorris! pic.twitter.com/h7p44zTxyS
UPDATE: Feb. 21, 3:26 p.m. — Well, that didn’t take long. The Lakers are apparently the frontrunners to land Morris, to nobodies surprise. The Toronto Raptors are also reportedly interested in Morris.
The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as a frontrunner to sign Markieff Morris, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Toronto has also expressed interest in Morris.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2020
The Detroit Pistons and PF Markieff Morris have agreed to a contract buyout, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Friday. Morris had two years remaining on his deal worth $3.2 million this season. He also had a player option for 2020-21 at $3.3 million. The buyout isn’t significant for the Pistons, but it means another body on the open market for contending teams to go after.
Pistons forward Markieff Morris has agreed to a contract buyout, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2020
Of those contenders who may make a run at Morris is the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron and Co. could use another big body in the front court. Morris can play SF in some bigger lineups and even C in smaller lineups. He provides some experience and toughness, plus he’d be going up against his brother on the rival Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs.
The Boston Celtics should also be looking into bringing in Morris. The Celtics lack front court depth and could really use another backup big behind Daniel Theis, Jayson Tatum and Enes Kanter. Marcus Morris played for the Celtics, so there’s a bit of a connection there as well.
For now, Morris shouldn’t be on your fantasy basketball radar. It depends where he lands and what type of role he’ll have. If it is with the Lakers or Celtics, however, I could see Morris getting bench minutes, though he’d only be an option in very deep fantasy basketball leagues.