The Los Angeles Lakers shockingly acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1, which included Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber coming over as part of the trade too. That marked a homecoming for Morris, who won a championship with the Lakers in 2020 before taking on a more veteran presence role in his other stops.
After the trade, it was clear that Morris was not going to see serious rotation minutes for L.A., but his voice was needed to aid the Lakers’ stars in LeBron James and Doncic. Another underlying catalyst was helping the Slovenian guard get acquainted with his new franchise and what it is like to play in L.A.
The 35-year-old only appeared in eight games when he returned to the Lakers and started two of them. He put up 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 33.3% from the field and 30.4% from 3-point range.
Those stats speak for themselves, as Morris was not the player he once was for the purple and gold five years ago. He has not started more than two games since the 2020-21 season with L.A. and has not averaged 10 points or more since 2019-20.
While it was great for Morris to return as he was a vital piece to the 2020 championship team, his best playing days were clearly behind him. However, his ability to speak with teammates and connect with stars is what made him valuable in Dallas and then L.A.
Since last season concluded, Morris has yet to sign with a team and re-signing with the Lakers seems unlikely with them having 14 roster spots filled, in addition to only being around $1 million from their first-apron hard cap, which is not enough to sign a player on a veteran’s minimum.
2024-25 Highlight
In the regular season finale when the Lakers had the third seed clinched, all of their rotation players were given a day off. However, it allowed for Morris to get an opportunity to get extended run and he did so with 33 minutes.
He would put up 11 points, four rebounds and six assists on 5-for-10 from the field against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 13. This was easily his best performance during his second tenure with the Lakers.
2025-26 Outlook
There is still time for Morris to find a new team, but the possibility of retirement looks likely after he put together a long 14-year career in the NBA, topped off by winning a championship with the Lakers.
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