NBA Rumors: Markieff Morris Opting For Thunder Clears Way For Carmelo Anthony

Markieff Morris had some level of interest joining the Los Angeles Lakers but opted to join the Oklahoma City Thunder instead. He becomes the second player the purple and gold missed after Enes Kanter joined the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Lakers do have an open roster spot, and unless some new name crops up, that slot is likely to go to Carmelo Anthony. Morris was seriously considered by the Lakers, but there were concerns about his health, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to ESPN, Morris is expected to back up Jerami Grant and Patrick Patterson, providing the Thunder with added versatility. So far, the 29-year-old forward has been averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 34 games.

Morris was traded by the Washington Wizards to the New Orleans Pelicans and would, later on, be waived. The last time he played an NBA game was back on Dec. 26 before suffering a neck injury. He has been cleared to play after getting a second opinion on the injury. Other teams who were interested in him include the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors.

The Lakers have yet to fill up that open slot, but the chances of seeing Anthony reunite with LeBron James have grown bigger. Seeing as how Los Angeles needs a big shot in the arm on the offensive end, everything now hinges on what team president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka decides.

As mentioned in a previous article, the only way the Lakers would accommodate Anthony was if a roster spot opened. This happened when Los Angeles traded away Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala.

The void left by Beasley was covered when the Lakers brought in Reggie Bullock from the Pistons. With another shooting forward in the mix, the consensus was that Los Angeles would go for a big man to fill in that open spot.

The Lakers find themselves in a hole, falling to 10th spot in the Western Conference behind the Clippers and the Sacramento Kings. Bringing in Anthony should provide additional offensive help to James although his defensive end remains questionable.