Grades for every Dallas Mavericks player ahead of the trade deadline

15. Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris hasn't gotten a whole lot of playing time for Dallas this season. The 34-year-old veteran forward has averaged 9.4 minutes per game this season for Dallas, but has only appeared in 16 contests this season.

Morris has played some small-ball five minutes in games where the Mavericks have been thin on bigs, and he's provided some decent mobility at the center position on defense despite not being much of a deterrent at the rim. One intriguing aspect of Morris' game is his ability to create in the mid-range, as he's a pretty good mid-range shooter in face-up and post-up scenarios.

Despite all this, Morris seems to have lost a step on the court compared to his younger days, and his lack of versatility on offense as well as his inability to guard quicker wings prevents from getting a lot of minutes for the Mavericks. Mavericks' coach Jason Kidd praised Morris early on in the season though, and credited him for being a vocal leader in the locker room as well as someone who is always ready when his name is called upon.

Unless the Mavericks include Morris in a trade for monetary purposes or they find a coveted name on the buyout market and decide to release him, then it's likely that he'll at least finish the season for the Mavericks. Morris' one-year $3.19 million partially guaranteed deal became fully guaranteed on January 7, so Dallas will have to honor the remainder of his contract if they buy him out.

Perhaps Morris still has some juice left come playoff time and Dallas is being careful with his minutes, but it seems unlikely. Despite his veteran presence and good leadership qualities, Morris has barely played this season so he gets a B- at this point in the year.