Updated Sep 18, 2015 at 3:59p ET
One of the reasons the Phoenix Suns have been reluctant to trade Markieff Morris — other than the fact that he's good at basketball — is a belief that time can help heal the wounds this summer opened. And part of that process could be the presence of recent addition Tyson Chandler, who told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he's not had a chance to speak with Morris yet, but he's looking forward to the opportunity.
For Chandler, the pitch to Morris isn't about forgiving the Suns front office. Instead, Chandler wants to tell the disgruntled forward that he's playing for the people who take the court with him on a nightly basis:
"It’s not about [Ryan McDonough and Robert Sarver]," Chandler said. "That’s no offense to Ryan, the GM, or the owner. Players play for players and the coaches. You’ve got a bond. Management has nothing to do with anything that goes on when you’re on the court. That’s just my thoughts. I’m not saying this for anything against Keef either. He’s a man and he has to go through his own process. But he can be special and I know he will. I feel like all this stuff will be forgotten once we kick off and we’re having success."
It's not out of the question — if the Suns are able to get some early wins, maybe that's the salve that calms the irritation. But the season is still over a month away; while that's a lot of time to help Morris come back around, it's also a lot of time before the real games start. If the Suns are counting on game action helping to calm Morris, it might be too late.
And it might be hard to make that argument to Morris anyway when the teammate he most played for, his brother, was sent elsewhere.
(h/t Arizona Republic)
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