Report: Lakers the frontrunner to sign Markieff Morris after Pistons buyout
The Detroit Pistons have entered a full-blown rebuilding phase now that Blake Griffin is out for the season and they have traded Andre Drummond, and they are not going to make veteran forward Markieff Morris stick around for it.
Morris and the Pistons have agreed to a buyout, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Los Angeles Lakers are the early frontrunner to sign him.
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
Morris has averaged 11.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game this season. He’s converting a career-high 39.7 percent of his attempts from three-point range.
There should be plenty of interest in Morris from contending teams outside of the Lakers and Toronto Raptors. There were reportedly multiple teams that explored the possibility of trading for him prior to the trade deadline earlier this month.
Marcus Morris and the Knicks have everyone's attention, but the Pistons have also received calls from multiple contenders for his brother, Markieff Morris.
The Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics are among those teams interested in Markieff Morris, per league sources.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 5, 2020
Morris is not having as good of a season as his twin brother Marcus, but he could still play an important role on a contending team. He likely will not be a free agent for very long.
