PHOENIX - The Phoenix Suns have signed forwards Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris to multiyear contract extensions, the team announced today.
"We are particularly pleased to have reached extension agreements with Marcus and Markieff before the start of training camp," said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. "There is an extraordinary bond between these twin brothers; they make each other better players and better men. We take pride in their growth and look forward to their bright futures."
"We are excited to be able to extend the contracts of Marcus and Markieff," said General Manager Ryan McDonough. "They have had great success playing together at every level of basketball, including last season with the Suns. They have made great strides over the past year and we feel like they will continue to grow and improve. They are just entering their primes and we think they will play the best basketball of their careers over the course of the next five years."
Marcus and Markieff each had the best seasons of their careers in 2013-14, posting career-bests in virtually every statistical category in their first full season as teammates in the NBA. The twins were two of the league's most effective players off the bench as Marcus played in all 82 games and averaged career-highs of 9.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 44.2 percent field goal shooting and 38.1 percent three-point shooting, while Markieff posted career-highs of 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 48.6 percent shooting from the field in 81 games.
Marcus scored in double-digits 42 times in 2013-14, including 18 games with at least 15 points with the Suns going 13-5 in those contests. Marcus twice scored his season-high of 22 points, doing so in the season finale at Sacramento on April 16 and at the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 10 when he made a career-high 10 field goals. Against the Lakers on Dec. 23, Marcus made a career-high five three-pointers on just six attempts as he scored 19 points in the Suns' victory. In three career seasons with the Suns and Houston Rockets, Marcus has averaged 8.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 176 career games.
In 2013-14, Markieff finished fourth in voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 10th in voting for NBA Most Improved Player as he led the league in points scored off the bench (1,115), double-digit scoring games off the bench (59) and double-doubles off the bench (11). Markieff scored at least 20 points in 18 contests, including in three straight games as he earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 22.8 points on 69.8 percent shooting, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in four games from Nov. 4-10. In three career seasons with the Suns, Markieff holds averages of 10.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 226 career games.
When the Suns acquired Marcus from Houston in a trade on Feb. 21, 2013, the pair became the 13th brothers to be teammates in NBA history and joined the Dick and Tom Van Arsdale, who were teammates with the Suns in 1976-77, as just the second set of twins to play together in league history. Born just seven minutes apart, the fraternal twins were drafted five minutes apart with the Suns taking Markieff 13th overall and the Rockets taking Marcus 14th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. Prior to their NBA careers, the Morris brothers were teammates at the University of Kansas where they excelled in three standout seasons for the Jayhawks.