Markieff Morris, who helped defeat the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble with the Los Angeles Lakers, has joined the Miami roster.
Morris signed with the Heat on Tuesday afternoon, as Miami and Pat Riley continue to fill out their 2022 roster with noticeable speed.
Free agent F Markieff Morris is finalizing a deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
Morris is agreeing to a one-year deal with the Heat, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/CHhQNXj5TD
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
Markieff Morris was a key cog for the Lakers in their 2020 Finals battle with the Heat. The Lakers recently re-acquired Dwight Howard, another valuable piece to the puzzle in their 2020 title run, but they didn't hang onto Morris.
Another interesting plot twist related to this move from the Lakers to the Heat is that earlier on Tuesday, the Lakers acquired Kendrick Nunn from Miami.
The Heat and Lakers are both pursuing veteran free-agent help. Miami's main free-agent acquisitions are Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker. Morris joins the supporting cast as another veteran with 10 or more years of NBA service. The Lakers, in addition to Dwight Howard, have brought in Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Bazemore.
Which veteran-oriented roster reconstruction reflects better team-building? Most NBA experts would say that the Heat are a much clearer winner in free agency to this point in time, chiefly because of Kyle Lowry. Yet, the Lakers and Rob Pelinka received considerable criticism for bringing Dwight Howard back for the 2020 season, and yet that move worked out far better than many people expected. The Lakers' addition of Rajon Rondo that year also worked like a charm, so even though the Lake Show is receiving criticism right now, the memory of the 2020 season offers a reminder that LeBron James can make odd pieces fit because of his skill and leadership.
All that aside, Markieff Morris — if he is to be part of another Lakers-Heat Finals — will have to do so from the Miami side of the equation next spring. It will be fascinating to see if Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler can get him and the rest of the Miami roster on the same page in what is a promising season for the organization.
Stay with ClutchPoints for more on this Miami Heat story and the rest of NBA free agency.
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