There was one player from the Dallas Mavericks that LeBron James wanted the Los Angeles Lakers to include in the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic: Markieff Morris.
Markieff’s brother Marcus revealed this info on an episode of Kevin O’Connor’s podcast on March 18. He explained James’ stance.
“The part about it I don’t think a lot of people see is that ‘Kieff and Luka have a really good relationship. Like, a really good relationship,” Marcus said at the 7:32 mark.
“So I think that they probably noticed that and they wanted Luka to feel better going to a new place where you have somebody who has been a teammate. Also Dorian Finney-Smith has been [Dončić’s teammate]. Maxi Kleber. So I think that really helped. Also ‘Kieff played there, so the Lakers really wanted him to come. ‘Bron asked for him to come.”
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It is an interesting explanation for Marcus Morris to have, considering his brother’s strong connection with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. It is logical for the Lakers to bring the forward back to the Lakers, taking into account his impact in the team’s title run in 2020.
Markieff played a limited role in the Lakers’ rotation, averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 rebounds after seven appearances. However, his experience and ability to help Doncic adjust to life in Los Angeles speaks importance to how the team succeeded since the trade.
Los Angeles has a 42-27 record on the season, holding the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings. They are 0.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets and 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets.
Following Saturday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers will look to rebound in their next matchup on the road. They face the Orlando Magic on March 24 at 7 p.m. ET.