The Los Angeles Lakers trading for Luka Doncic was a shock to everyone, including the players that were involved in the deal.
Doncic wasn’t the only player the Lakers acquired as they also brought in Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the blockbuster trade. Morris, of course, is a familiar face in L.A. after spending two seasons with the team, including in 2020 when they won the championship.
At this stage of his career, Morris doesn’t play much but still is a valuable piece to a roster as a veteran presence in the locker room. With that, LeBron James is happy to be reunited with Morris on the Lakers again, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
There aren’t many veterans left in the NBA that call fill a role like Morris where they aren’t playing much but still need to be bought in. Jared Dudley was a great example of that on the 2019-20 Lakers. James feels those players are a dying breed but still provide value to teams:
Having been in the league for 14 years and playing with a variety of star players, Morris is not afraid to say anything to anyone, including James:
Even though he is not getting regular playing time, Morris is showing he is a crucial piece of this Lakers roster for the rest of the season. With an upcoming playoff run, having that veteran presence is necessary and is much-needed for a Lakers team that has a lot of personalities for first-year coach JJ Redick to manage.
Daniel Starkand is a graduate from Chapman University with a degree in journalism and broadcast journalism. He grew up in Burbank, Calif. and played baseball at Burbank High and his first two years at Chapman. Along with serving as the managing editor for LakersNation.com, Daniel also serves as a senior
