The NBA announced Tuesday that it has fined Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris $10,000 for publicly demanding a trade.
First reported by ESPN, the league’s official statement cited a “public statement detrimental to the NBA,” on the heels of Morris tweeting last week that “my future is not in Phoenix.”
Morris had been publicly feuding with the Suns organization, having been unhappy with the team’s decision to trade his twin brother, Marcus Morris, to the Detroit Pistons in an offseason deal in July.
Despite optimistic projections heading into last season, the Morris twins quickly alienated themselves from the coaches, the media, and even the fans through a series of well-documented self-destructive behavior.
Typically, trade demands are reported via news media but are not publicly stated by players or their representatives. Beginning with the 2005-06 season, the league cracked down on public trade demands, finding them to be "statements detrimental to the NBA" and became subject to sanctions and/or fines.
Currently, the Morris twins are facing two counts of felony aggravated assault following a January incident in which the twins were accused of helping three others assault a man outside a high school gym in Phoenix. The Morris twins have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As of date, the Suns have expressed no desire to fulfill Morris’s trade request.