The Washington Wizards took a preemptive bite out of their cap space for this summer and dealt away a first round pick to acquire Markieff Morris, who they hope will be happier in a new environment. Morris is unquestionably a talented player with one of the most team friendly contracts in the league. But again, all of that is when he’s not a malcontent.

After the Suns traded Marcus Morris in an attempt to get cap space for LaMarcus Aldridge, Markieff Morris never recovered emotionally with his relationship with the franchise. He’s missed games with suspensions, had injuries, and generally been close to non-existent when he did play. After openly feuding with Jeff Hornacek, Morris was a mess. In fairness, once Earl Watson became the coach, Morris started to play much better.

Assuming Morris embraces this fresh start, he’s a fantastic fit for the Wizards at power forward. He has enough range to play with Gortat or Nene. He can rebound. He can run the floor with John Wall. Given the contract, this could end up working out great for Washington.

Where are the negatives for the Wizards? Neither player they gave up will matter much. Kris Humphries has been in and out with injuries and DeJuan Blair wasn’t playing at all. The big gamble is trading a top 9 protected First Round Pick. If Morris helps to push Washington in to the playoffs, that is a fine return. If Morris isn't productive, the pick was a wasted value. In addition, Washington ties up some space this coming summer. They can still angle to have enough to make Kevin Durant a max offer, but it got that much harder. 

Grade for the Wizards: B

The Suns had to move on from Markieff Morris. The situation had grown so toxic that only a trade that it would have made keeping him for the rest of the season difficult, even if they could trade him still in the summer. That makes it difficult to get any sort good package when teams know you have to make a deal. To get a First Round pick of any sort is terrific value. Humphries is fully non-guaranteed as long as he is waived by 6/30/16 and he seems likely to be waived. Blair is an expiring contract. Both of these players are buyout candidates as well.

The Suns can now move forward in the summer with only Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight signed to non-Rookie Scale deals. With Devin Booker, T.J. Warren and Alex Len on Rookie Scale contract, the Suns will have talent, picks and cap space to get moves done this summer.

In addition, this makes it far more likely that Phoenix finishes in the top 3 or 4 spots heading into the Draft Lottery. Ryan McDonough has had a rough run as of late, but this is a step in the right direction as he looks to rebuild the Suns. They were closer than people remember on LaMarcus Aldridge and will again push this summer to add a star to their core pieces.

Grade for the Suns: A