Portland Trail Blazers: 5 backup big men to sign in Free Agency

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Portland Trail Blazers back up big man option three – Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris is a six-foot-nine big man who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The identical twin brother of LA Clippers big Marcus Morris, Markieff hasn’t had the same career trajectory over the last few years as his brother.

Injuries damaged part of his prime, and he has had limited opportunities to play big minutes to increase his value.

Morris is still a valuable player though. Because he can knock down the three while also guarding fours and fives, he would give the Blazers the stretch element that they rarely possess at the five.

With Robert Covington playing a large number of minutes starting at the four, someone like Morris would fit in well as a bench four, or as a small-ball five with Covington next to him at the four.

Morris isn’t a 30 plus minutes-a-night guy anymore, but his price tag is a lot lower because of his smaller role.

He has played the last two seasons on veteran’s minimum contracts. It can sometimes be difficult for players to shed the veterans minimum tag, especially after a couple of consecutive contracts like this. Morris can still play in the NBA, but he’s a minimum guy until he can carve out a bigger role.

With his significant playoff experience and winning a championship last season with the Lakers, he could be a nice addition to the Blazers as a backup big man.