ORLANDO, Fla. _ Forward Markieff Morris is not with the Lakers because of an excused absence, according to a person familiar with the situation. Morris is expected to join the team soon.
Morris is the only Laker who is expected to be in Orlando for the restart of the season who is known to not be with the team.
The Lakers flew to Orlando on Thursday and immediately entered a 36-hour quarantine. The Lakers' first practice was on Friday, but it occurred without center Dwight Howard, whose quarantine had to last one day longer because he did not arrive with the team. Howard had been in the Atlanta area with his family.
The Lakers are without guards Avery Bradley, who decided not to participate in the NBA's restart because of family reasons, and Rajon Rondo, who broke his right thumb in practice on Saturday.
Morris signed with the Lakers on Feb. 23 and played in eight games for them. He averaged 14.8 minutes and 4.8 points per game.
